Dating Techniques in Archaeological Science

Study Notes

Dating Techniques in Archaeological Science

Seriation has evolved to define interaction areas by grouping phases, shifting definitions as new assemblages emerge.
Early recognition highlighted that traits defining historical classes are often stylistic and not functionally significant, lending to the concept of "style" as adaptively neutral.
Distribution of stylistic traits influenced by chance and transmission processes emphasizes historical relations, and simulations show that trait transmission generates unimodal curves akin to seriation.
Despite analytical rigor, seriation has seen limited use in the U.S., largely due to perceptions of minimal time depth in American archaeology, contrasting European change documentation.
The absolute dating technique of varves originated from recognizing horizontal sedimentary layers formed annually, initially identified in Sweden in the late 19th century.
Gerard de Geer pioneered varve chronology in 1912 by using layers from glacial lakes to date glacial retreats in Scandinavia.
Clastic varves demonstrate seasonal changes in sediment deposition, with coarse grains settling during spring runoff and fine particles settling in late summer and fall.
Thickness of varve layers relates to temperature, allowing for cross-referencing across lakes, achieving a resolution extending up to 13,000 years.
Dendrochronology emerged as a method providing absolute dates, particularly in the Southwest, despite its focus on specific events rather than direct dating of artifacts.
Biogenic varves are created through seasonal biological processes, like diatom deposition, showcasing distinctive light and dark layers reflective of seasonal contributions in regions such as the Cariaco Basin in Venezuela.
Although seriation was prominent in Eastern woodlands archaeology during the 1920s and 1930s, its application faced challenges due to spatial variation, prompting reliance on stratigraphy for validating phase construction.