Chronometric dating definition

Cross-Dating

Because all such dates are, in statistical terms, estimates, the results are usually reported with a measure of probability, typically expressed as a standard deviation Access to the complete content on Oxford Reference requires a subscription or purchase. Public users are able to search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter without a subscription. Please subscribe or login to access full text content. If you have purchased a print title that contains an access token, please see the token for information about how to register your code.

REGISTER TO VIEW

Select the first letter of the word you are seeking from the list above to jump to the appropriate section of the glossary or scroll down to it. Old World artifact types used as time markers. All rights reserved.

REGISTER TO VIEW

Most of the chronometric dating methods in use today are radiometric. That is to say, they are based on knowledge of the rate at which certain radioactive isotopes within dating samples decay or the rate of other cumulative changes in atoms resulting from radioactivity. Isotopes are specific forms of elements. The various isotopes of the same element differ in terms of atomic mass but have the same atomic number.

REGISTER TO VIEW

Dating in Archaeology

After excavating a site, one of the first questions to answer relates to time. Much of the meaning that can be inferred from a site comes from the context—when the site was used and when the various artifacts collected were made, used, and left behind. It is a straightforward question to ask, but one that has long been difficult to answer. Newer, more advanced dating techniques now allow archaeologists to establish when sites were occupied and artifacts were made.

REGISTER TO VIEW

REGISTER TO VIEW