Term for archaeological methods for dating things?

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In summary, there are various methods used by archaeologists to date objects and events, such as radiocarbon dating, dendrochronology, and analyzing language and demographics. These methods fall under the field of chronology, which relies on chronometry and historiography. There is no one term for the general methods of dating, but some terms used include paleoarchaeology and palaeontology.
  • #1
Stephen Tashi
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Is there a term for the general methods archeologists use to date things? - more general that the specific method of radiocarbon dating. "Historical markers" doesn't seem right.

An example is pull tabs on soda cans. There was short time period (in the USA) where the tabs came completely off the cans when you pulled them. So finding loose tabs would be a method of dating.

I predict another example will be the text of messages. With current technology, people who send texts and messages from their phones often produce weird spellings or correctly spelled words that are not the words they intended. Future technology will probably fix that.
 
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  • #2
"Chronological dating" doesn't do it for you?
 
  • #3
Since there is no one method, I doubt there's one term. They sometimes go by the style of weapons found, sometimes by the style of pottery, sometimes by tree rings, and it goes on and on.
 
  • #4
Vanadium 50 said:
"Chronological dating" doesn't do it for you?
That's the name of WHAT they do. I think he's looking for the name of HOW they do it, such as radiocarbon dating.
 
  • #5
Recent books and papers append the prefix paleo to the denotation specifically for human history. A period where ancient humans use stone tools is called paleolithic. The study of ancient human writing would be paleography. Other Greek or Latin prefixes specify general cases. So, determining age of logs by counting growth rings utilizes dendrochronology.

Anthropology texts seem to prefer appending archea. The study of human material and artifacts is archaeology. The study of any fossils is called palaeontology predating modern convention.

There are several terms for dating texts by analyzing language, word choice, spelling conventions, demographics, etc.
 
  • #6
phinds said:
I think he's looking for the name of HOW they do it, such as radiocarbon dating.

If he's looking for a word other than "dating" that includes radioisotope dating, dendrochronology, geologic strata, etc. I don't think there is one in English. I bet German has a really long word for it, though!
 
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  • #7
The learned term for dating something is
Chronology is the science of locating historical events in time. It relies upon chronometry, which is also known as timekeeping, and historiography, which examines the writing of history and the use of historical methods. ...

as stated in post #2. Cool thread though; as I found this hybrid term palaeoarchaeology.
 
  • #8
Stephen Tashi said:
So finding loose tabs would be a method of dating.
See also "stratigraphy and bioturbation."
 

What is the term for archaeological methods for dating things?

The term for archaeological methods for dating things is chronometric dating. This refers to techniques used to assign a specific chronological age or date to an object or event.

What is the difference between relative and absolute dating?

Relative dating is a method of determining the relative order of past events, without necessarily determining their absolute age. Absolute dating, on the other hand, provides a specific age or date for an object or event.

What are some examples of chronometric dating techniques?

Some examples of chronometric dating techniques include radiocarbon dating, potassium-argon dating, and thermoluminescence dating. These methods use scientific principles to measure the amount of certain elements or the rate of decay of certain materials in order to determine the age of an object or event.

How accurate are chronometric dating methods?

The accuracy of chronometric dating methods depends on several factors, such as the type of material being dated, the technique used, and the condition of the sample. In general, these methods are considered to be quite accurate, with an error margin of a few percentage points.

Why is chronometric dating important in archaeology?

Chronometric dating is crucial in archaeology because it allows us to place objects and events in a specific chronological context. This helps us understand the relationships between different artifacts and how they fit into the larger timeline of human history.

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