Term for archaeological methods for dating things?

[Stephen Tashi]

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.

 

[Vanadium 50]

"Chronological dating" doesn't do it for you?

 

[phinds]

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.

 

[phinds]

"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.

 

[Klystron]

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.

 

[Vanadium 50]

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!

 

[Klystron]

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.

 

[Bystander]

So finding loose tabs would be a method of dating.

See also "stratigraphy and bioturbation."