Most of human history cannot be retrieved through writing, but through artifacts and fossils. Archaeologists use methods such as rock strata analysis, typology, and carbon-14 dating to determine an artifact’s age and history. Carbon-14 dating is a commonly used method that determines the amount of carbon-14 in an organism sample found near the artifact.
The human race has been around for at least a hundred thousand years, and possibly more. However, writing was only invented in 5000 BC, and even then, few people were literate, and archiving methods were very poor. Thus, information about approximately 99% of human history can only be retrieved through the study of artifacts and fossils. Understanding where a given artifact fits into the pattern of history requires dating it with a reliable degree of accuracy. Fortunately, there are good ways to do this.
Archaeological excavations
The oldest method of dating artifacts is to look at what rock strata they are inside. To determine this accurately, each layer of soil must be removed, a process known as quarrying, during archaeological excavation. The archeology activity is carried out in an extremely careful way in order to provide the most accurate results; this is often time consuming and can last days, months or even years. Over the years, archaeologists have compiled their findings into large databases containing information about the types of artifacts that correspond to different civilizations and the types of soils they are usually found in.
Typology
Another method of dating artifacts is called typology, which simply means the study of types. In typology, a researcher studies the material of an artifact, its shape, and its most probable purpose. Due to technological necessity, more complex artifacts are newer than simpler artifacts, so often an artifact can be dated simply by looking at the materials and process used to make it. If the artifact comes from a civilization that had written records, dating is even easier because textual clues exist as to which artifacts were produced during which eras.
Dating Carbon-14
One of the most commonly used methods of dating artifacts is carbon-14 dating, also known as radiocarbon dating. This method only works for dating organisms that were once alive to no more than 58,000-62,000 years ago. By dating an organism sample found near the original found artifact, archaeologists can learn information about the artifact’s period and history.
Organisms naturally absorb carbon-14 while they are alive, but when they die they stop absorbing it. Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5,000 years, so it decays slowly and its frequency decreases as organic material is buried. Determining the exact amount of carbon-14 in a sample can provide a very close approximation of the creation date of the corresponding artifact.
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