ANTH 1105 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Radiocarbon Dating, Willard Libby, Absolute Dating
18 Jan 2017
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Document Summary
Relative chronology is an invaluable tool for arky research, but it does not provide accurate dates in years. Ultimate objective in chronological research an impressive array of absolute dating techniques have been established since 1950 a. d. to date. Some have become well-established, reliable methods of dating, others have been ejected because of flaw. Absolute dates are dates expressed in calendar years often these dates are expressed in so many years b. p. (before present) The present is 1950 a. d. (preferable to using a constantly changing date) some archaeologists convert years b. p. to years tied to the christian calendar (b. c. for. Before christ, a. d. for anno domini, in the year of our lord). Common practice when dealing with cultures that have written records, or when absolute dates have been subjected to calibration or correction. Some archaeologists even use b. c. e. (before common era) Best known and most widely used of all the absolute dating methods.
