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Chronology
Archaeological knowledge is located in space and time. Knowing where something is and what it consists of is one
element, but we also always need to ask the question WHEN? It is necessary to use archaeological and scientific
dating techniques to establish a time framework for the archaeology we are studying. This is known as chronology.
On an archaeological site, deposits are laid down at different times, from the earliest at the bottom to the latest
at the top. Finds from these layers similarly vary in date, allowing them to be placed in a sequence. If some
identical finds are discovered on another site, then the two site sequences can be joined together. By comparing
many sites, large 'typological sequences' have been devised for most commonly found objects. Newly discovered finds
can be slotted into their correct places within these sequences and from this, their sites can be similarly dated.
Note however that this only tells us whether a layer or object is older or younger than another one (hence it is
known as a 'relative date'). It says nothing about how much older. Since deposits can take from a few minutes up to
many centuries to accumulate, these dates could vary substantially. Far more useful would be actual dates for them
(known as an 'absolute date'). The easiest, and until the mid-20th century, the only method was 'historical dating'.
Coins and various other finds contain the names of people or events that can be dated from independent historical
records. Unfortunately this technique is only possible for sites that were occupied within recent history. Until
the 1950's dating of earlier sites was little more than guesswork. Today a number of scientific dating methods have
been developed, including radiocarbon, dendrochronology, TL/ luminescence dating, archaeomagnetic dating and a
variety of less common techniques. These now allow absolute dates to be obtained for sites throughout the whole of
the archaeological record.
Learn more about Dating Methods, or return to Evidence.
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