What is Archaeology?
Archaeology is the study of human history and prehistory through the excavation of sites and the analysis of artifacts and other physical remains. There are many methods that archaeologists use to interpret this information. These methods provide absolute dates, or relative dates. Like relative time, relative dating is the dating of objects in relation to other objects to determine an approximate time-frame. Absolute dating is similar to absolute time in that it provides an exact age for an object.
Lesson 1 - Methods of Dating
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Dendrochronology - the science or technique of dating events, environmental change, and archaeological artifacts by using the characteristic patterns of annual growth rings in timber and tree trunks.
By comparing wood artifacts to known wood samples, archaeologists can determine the approximate age of an artifact.
By comparing wood artifacts to known wood samples, archaeologists can determine the approximate age of an artifact.
Radiocarbon dating (also referred to as carbon dating or carbon-14 dating) is a method for determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of radiocarbon (14. C), a radioactive isotope of carbon. This method provides an actual age as opposed to a relative age.
Stratigraphy is using the layers of the earth to determine the age of an object. Newer objects are generally on top, and lower layers are underneath.
Lesson 2 - Inferencing
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Read through the above story, and then complete the inferencing activity for all ten people.