Unit 3

Why are multiple dating methods often used together?

To confirm results

Relative dating determines:

If something is older or younger than something eles

An archaeologist determines than one artifact is older than another, but cannot identify the calendar year. Which dating approach is being used?

Relative dating

Which statement best distinguishes absolute dating from relative dating?

Absolute dating gives a specific age, while relative dating gives older-younger relationships

A date is reported as 23,000 ± 100 BP. The “±100” refers to:

Standard deviation

Which date is more precise: 23,200 ± 500BP or 23,200 ± 100BP?

23,200 ± 100BP

Why do archaeologists often convert BP dates to BC/AD?

BC/AD dates are easier to compare with other chronological evidence

A sample dates to 4,000 BP. Approx what BC date does this represent?

2050 BC

An archaeologist finds a modern object buried beneath older deposits because of animal burrowing. This is an example of:

Reverse stratification

Which principle allows archaeologists to infer that materials within the same layer likely belong to the same period?

Law of Lateral Continuity

Two artefacts are recovered from the same undisturbed deposit. The strongest conclusion is that they are:

Contemporary

Which dating method is MOST dependent on changes in human preferences and fashion?

Seriation

Frequency seriation differs from stylistic seriation because it focuses on:

Changes in popularity through time

A researcher notices that a decorative motif first appears rarely, becomes very common, and then nearly disappears. This pattern is most directly associated with:

Frequency seriation

Why is dendrochronology considered exceptionally precise?

Individual tree rings can be matched to specific calendar years

Which situation would make dendrochronology impossible?

No master chronology exists for that species

What statement about Carbon-12 and Carbon-13 is correct?

Both are stable isotopes

Why can living organisms be used for radiocarbon dating?

They maintain a constant ratio of Carbon-14 to Carbon-12 and Carbon-13 while alive

What event begins the radiocarbon “clock?”

Death of an organism

Charcoal retains approx 25% of its original Carbon-14. Approx how many half-lives half passed?

2

Which limitation specifically applies to radiocarbon dating?

Only works effectively to ~50,000 years

How did AMS improve radiocarbon dating?

Allowed dating of smaller samples

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True or False: Frequency seriation assumes that popular artefact styles remain equally common throughout their existence

False

True or False: Dendrochronology can provide absolute precision

True

True or False: Carbon-14, Carbon-13, and Carbon-12 all decay at the same rate after death

False

True or False: A sample with 50% of its original Carbon-14 remaining is likely older than a sample with 25% remaining

False

True or False: AMS made it possible to measure the number of remaining Carbon-14 atoms directly

True

The assumption that materials in the same sediment layer are generally from the same time period is based on the Law of ______ Continuity

Lateral

The shared movement of carbon through the atmosphere and living organisms is called the Carbon Exchange ____

Reservoir

The radioactive isotope used in radiocarbon dating is Carbon-_____

14

The time required for half of the Carbon-14 atoms in a sample to decay is called its _____

Half-life

Which of the following is NOT listed as a radiometric dating method?

Dendrochronology

Why do archaeologists often use multiple dating methods on the same site?

Methods can be used together to confirm results

Which part of the radiocarbon expression “23,200 ± 100 BP (GifA 878)” identifies the laboratory analysis?

GifA 878

A radiocarbon date reported as one standard deviation is associated with approx:

66% probability

A radiocarbon date reported as two standard deviations is associated with approx:

95% probability

Which date is MORE precise?

12,000 ± 100 BP

Which statement best describes a depositional unit?

Materials deposited during the same period of time

An archaeologist dates a bone found with several stone tools. Because the materials came from the same undisturbed deposit, the date may also apply to the stone tools due to:

Association

Which researcher is associated with Paleolithic art styles used in stylistic seriation?

Leroi-Gourhan

Which sequence of New England gravestones motifs is correct?

Death’s head → Cherub → Urn & Willow

Master chronology sequences are constructed by:

Matching overlapping ring patterns from different trees

A master chronology sequence works because it is built:

Backward from the present

A tree ring that is unusually thick most likely reflects:

Good growing conditions

An unusually thin tree ring most likely indicates:

Poor growing conditions

Which carbon isotope is rare?

C-14

Which statement correctly compares carbon isotopes?

C-12 and C-13 are stable, while C-14 decays

Which sample would be suitable for radiocarbon dating?

Charred wood fragment

Which sample would NOT be suitable for radioactive dating?

Stone tool

A wooden beam from a structure can be matched perfectly against an established tree-ring sequence. Which dating method is being used?

Dendrochronology

A charcoal sample contains approx 50% of its original Carbon14. Roughly how old is it?

5,730 years

A sample contains approx 25% of its original Carbon-14. Roughly how many half-lives have passed?

Two

A sample contains approx 3% of its original Carbon-14. Roughly how many half-lives have passed?

Five

True or False: Radiometric dating is considered a type of absolute dating

True

True or False: A date reported as ±200 BP is more precise than a date reported as ±100 BP

False

True or False: Depositional units contain materials deposited during different periods of time

False

True or False: James Deetz’s gravestone study is an example of radiocarbon dating

False

True or False: Leroi-Gourhan’s work is an example of stylistic seriation

True

True or False: Master chronology sequences can only be created from ring patterns belonging to dead wood

False

True or False: After death, organisms continue exchanging carbon with the atmosphere through the Carbon Exchange Reservoir

False

True or False: The radioactive clock begins when an organism stops taking in carbon

True

True or False: A sample with 25% C-14 remaining is older than a sample with 50% remaining

True

True or False: AMS makes radioactive dating possible without measuring Carbon-14 atoms

False

True or False: Radiocarbon dating can be used effectively on most materials

False