Archaeological dating

Archaeological dating estimates the age of artifacts, features, and deposits using their relationships to other finds or measurable physical and chemical changes.

Relative dating: A method of placing events or objects in chronological order without assigning calendar dates. Stratigraphic relationships and artifact sequences establish order without giving a numerical age.
Radiocarbon dating: A method that estimates the age of once-living material from its remaining carbon-14. It dates organic remains central to many archaeological contexts.
Archaeological site formation processes: The human and natural processes that create, alter, and preserve archaeological deposits. Dating depends on whether remains stayed in their original context.
Calibration curve: A reference curve used to convert radiocarbon measurements into calendar-age estimates. Radiocarbon years require calibration because atmospheric carbon-14 has varied over time.
Bayesian chronology: A chronological model that combines dating measurements with prior information about event order and archaeological context. It can integrate stratigraphy and multiple dates into refined probability estimates.
Absolute dating: Methods that estimate calendar ages or age ranges for materials and events. Numerical estimates complement the relative sequences archaeologists construct.
Dendrochronology: The dating of wood by matching its annual growth-ring patterns to established sequences. Tree-ring sequences can assign precise calendar dates to preserved timber.
Seriation: A relative dating method that orders assemblages by changes in the frequency of artifact styles or types. It helps date sequences where diagnostic artifacts change over time.
Marine reservoir effect: The apparent age difference caused by marine organisms incorporating older dissolved carbon. Marine samples may yield radiocarbon ages older than their true calendar ages.
Radiocarbon calibration plateau: A period when the radiocarbon calibration curve changes little, making calendar ages difficult to distinguish. Plateaus can leave radiocarbon results broad despite precise laboratory measurements.

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