A discussion of the various scientific methods used to help in the dating of archaeological finds. It covers such aspects as radiocarbon dating, magnetic dating, amino acid racemization, obsidian hydration and other chemical methods plus luminescence dating and electron spin resonance.
Archaeologists and archaeology students have long since needed an authoritative account of the techniques now available to them, designed to be understood by non-scientists. This book fills the gap and it offers a two-tier approach to the subject. The main text is a coherent introduction to the whole field of science-based dating, written in plain langauge for non-scientists. Additional end-notes, however, offer a a more technical understanding, and cater for those who have a scientific and mathematical background.