Interpreting the Results (exercise, 20 points
)
Given the data sheet that Lucas sent to Dr. Matney, and the chapter that you read on dating techniques you are ready to discuss with the team the laboratory results from the University of Arizona radiocarbon
laboratories. Before the meeting, you quiz yourself of the basics, and your reading of those complicated charts Dr. Matney sent out. You feel like you are perhaps in the deep end of the swimming pool.
1. _________________________ are methods that assigns a specific date in calendar years or other conventional system to an archaeological material or feature. Typically, in archaeology these dates are given in years BC/BCE, AD/CE, or BP. Calibrated dates are in cal BP, or cal BC/AD. Circle one. (
2 points
)
a. relative dating
b. seriation
c. absolute dating
d. varve dating
e. index fossils
2. Which materials can be tested using radiocarbon dating techniques? Circle one. (
2 points
)
a. wood
b. bone
c. stone
d. all of the above
e. only (a) and (b)
3. What event does radiocarbon dating actually date? Circle one. (
2 points
)
a. the construction of the artifact using organic materials
b. the last use of an artifact, ecofacts, or as part of a feature, such as a building timber
c. the date at which an archaeologist recovered the material from an archaeological context
d. the point of death, when the organism (such as a tree) stopped exchanging carbon e. none of the above
4. Based on the University of Arizona data sheet and explanation in #36 Carbonized Wood, what is age of the samples as reported in radiocarbon years BP? Include the +/- range. (
2 points
)
Sample zt37412 ____________
4518+/-28
__________________ 14C age BP
Sample zt 20440 ____________
426+/-25
_________________ 14C age BP
5. Based on the calibration results from OxCal, what are the ranges of calibrated dates in years BC for each of the samples? (
2 points
)
Sample zt 37412 ___
3358
_______-___
3268
________ cal BC and _____
3246
______-
___
3101
_________ cal BC
Sample zt 20440 ____
1427
______-___
1495
________ cal AD and ___
1601
________-
____
1611
________ cal AD
6. The earliest radiocarbon dates were run at Ziyaret Tepe in 2001. Below are the results of a radiocarbon sample taken from the Brightly Burned Building (BBB) in the Operation E step trench and
