ASB 222 EXAM 1 WITH VERIFIED QUESTIONS AND DETAILED
ANSWERS GRADED A+
BP
- Before present (before 1950)
□ Because 1950 is when nuclear testing started an resulted in a high
release of carbon into the atmosphere
Relative Dating
- Do not tell us when an event occurred, but the order in which
things happened
- Stratigraphy:
• Searching through layers of the ground throughout different time
periods
- Striation:
• Works by exploiting fact that material culture changes through
time
• Ordering of artifacts based on the assumption that styles and
techniques increase/decrease in popularity through time
Absolute Dating
- gives you specific numbers (like age)
- Vary in:
• Material they can be applied to (remains, ceramic, organic)
, • Event they date (death of an organism, volcanic explosion)
• Time range over which they work
• Accuracy and precision
□ Accuracy - how close the date is to the true age
- Precision - Random errors in the technique; how often you get the
same answer for repeated things
- used in calendars and chronologies, dendrochronology, radioactive
clocks, and potassium argon
- Used to date very early sights in human history: Laetoli Foot prints
of ancient animals from moistened ash covering ground after
eruption
- Between 3.76 - 3.56 million years ago
- This evidence predates tools
Calendars and Chronologies
• Maya calendar
• Chronology of kings in the Near East
• Don't have these in most regions in the world because most
societies didn't have written materials until recently
Dendrochronology
• Study of tree's in order to date archeological material
• Ex: Tree rings, where each ring = 1 year, preserve info about it's
environment and about the climate of each century (giving the rings
a unique sequence)
ANSWERS GRADED A+
BP
- Before present (before 1950)
□ Because 1950 is when nuclear testing started an resulted in a high
release of carbon into the atmosphere
Relative Dating
- Do not tell us when an event occurred, but the order in which
things happened
- Stratigraphy:
• Searching through layers of the ground throughout different time
periods
- Striation:
• Works by exploiting fact that material culture changes through
time
• Ordering of artifacts based on the assumption that styles and
techniques increase/decrease in popularity through time
Absolute Dating
- gives you specific numbers (like age)
- Vary in:
• Material they can be applied to (remains, ceramic, organic)
, • Event they date (death of an organism, volcanic explosion)
• Time range over which they work
• Accuracy and precision
□ Accuracy - how close the date is to the true age
- Precision - Random errors in the technique; how often you get the
same answer for repeated things
- used in calendars and chronologies, dendrochronology, radioactive
clocks, and potassium argon
- Used to date very early sights in human history: Laetoli Foot prints
of ancient animals from moistened ash covering ground after
eruption
- Between 3.76 - 3.56 million years ago
- This evidence predates tools
Calendars and Chronologies
• Maya calendar
• Chronology of kings in the Near East
• Don't have these in most regions in the world because most
societies didn't have written materials until recently
Dendrochronology
• Study of tree's in order to date archeological material
• Ex: Tree rings, where each ring = 1 year, preserve info about it's
environment and about the climate of each century (giving the rings
a unique sequence)
