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51 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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relative dating
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the idea that something is older/younger relative to something else
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absolute dating
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records the specific age of an object
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How do we measure time?
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through the passage of seasons
radioactive clocks |
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What are common causes of error in dating?
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poor sample choice
contamination misinterpretation |
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What is the dating convention for radioactive dating?
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back from the present (BP)
this is less often used than CE and BCE |
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When is BP still used?
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it's used for ancient eras, such as the Paleolithic age (2-3 million years ago)
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What is the first step in relative dating?
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putting things into sequences
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What can be determined from association?
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objects in association became buried at the same time
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What can be said about a bowl in a rubbish pit?
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They may be of different ages. archaeologists want to determine ages of activities as well as objects
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type
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composed of objects with the same attributes
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"like goes with like"
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arrangement of most similar objects closest in age
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Which changes occur quickly in pottery? Slowly?
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design changes quickly
shape changes slowly |
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seriation
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allows assemblages to be arranged in succession
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What is the typical seriation pattern?
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an object's popularity starts small, rises to a peak, then declines
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give examples of frequency seriation
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tombostone designs in connecticut
neolithic ceramic assemblages (Frank Hole) in iran compared with stratigraphy |
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environmental sequences
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these are based on changes in the earth's climate
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what is an environmental sequence of the ice age?
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a sequence of glacials and interglacials
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what are deep sea cores and what do they tell us?
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they contain shells of microscopic marine organisms
variations in chemical structures of the shells indicate the sea temperature of that time cold = ice advance warm = ice retreat |
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what are ice cores and what do they tell us?
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compacted ice from the arctic and antarctic
shows stratification from 2/3000 years ago up to now can preserve evidence of volcanic eruptions |
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describe pollen dating
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because pollen grains are virtually indestructable, experts can create sequences of past vegetation and climate
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what is the word for a pollen expert?
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palynologist
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name a period that can be dated with pollen patterning
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holocene period of northern europe is covered by pollen zones
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once you establish a pollen zone sequence, what can you do?
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you can link to other sites (similar to typology)
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which culture kept detailed historical and astronomical records?
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the ancient egyptians
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stelae
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mayan stone columns with events inscribed
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runes
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viking memorials to dead
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what can you say from a coin date?
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its terminus post quem - date after which - it was buried
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what can you say from imports and exports? e.g. finding underneath a dated import
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its terminus ante quem
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what is a varve?
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an annual layer of sedimentary deposit
can make variations in ice thickness |
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where was dendrochronology developed?
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in the US southwest
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what are limitations of dendrochronology?
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you have to have variations
restricted to wood used and available both in past and present |
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when were the first radiocarbon dates published, and by whom?
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willard libby 1949
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what happens at the death of an organism?
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the uptake of C-14 increases
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what is the half life of C-14?
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5730 years
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how could a sample be contaminated before sampling?
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groundwater might bring in more C-14
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how could a sample be contaminated after sampling?
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roots/earth get in
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why would samples with a short life span be preferred?
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it's easier to see their context
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which method of dating worked best for the turin shroud?
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radiocarbon dating
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what is the range of K-Ar dating?
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millions of years - 100,000 years BP
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what is the half life of K-Ar?
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1.3 billion years
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what things does K-Ar date?
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volcanic rocks only
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what is a site that has been dated by K-Ar?
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ancient humans of the rift valley in east africa
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uranium series dating is useful for what range of time?
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500,000 - 50,000 years bp
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what kinds of thing do you date with Ur?
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travertine (found in caves)
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what's fission-track dating?
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dates fission of uranium by looking at the damage tracks caused
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explain thermoluminescence dating
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dates crystalline materials
measured radioactivity RECEIVED when the sample is heated, the energy is released |
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what's something that has been dated by thermoluminescence?
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terracotta head from jos plateau, nigeria
they couldn't use radiocarbon dating |
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explain optical dating
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dates materials exposed to light and measures luminescence
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explain electron spin resonance
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similar to, less sensitive than thermoluminescence
good for dating tooth enamel |
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archaeomagnetic dating
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based on constant change of earth's magnetic field (geomagnetic reversals)
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how does dna dating work?
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uses assumptions about genetic mutation rates
can date important changes in human history |
