July 20, 2004 - Finding any archeological artifact is exciting. But the discovery is just the beginning of an archaeologist's work as he tries to unravel the mystery of what the artifact is, how it was used in the past and its age. Archaeologists are much like detectives, gathering clues and reconstructing a scenario, a place and a time in which these artifacts once existed. Many techniques for dating exist, all with their own set of limitations. Many of these methods are used in conjunction with other dating procedures for a more accurate, complete reconstruction of an object's history.

In some cases scientists will determine the age of an object by dating the object itself. This is called absolute dating. Often, analysis of the chemical make-up of an object can yield concrete numbers and allow scientists to make educated estimates of its age. Sometimes, however, objects are too old, in poor condition or simply made of the wrong material and it just isn't possible to test them for an absolute date. In this case archaeologists piece together a history using clues from the object's surroundings. Relative dating provides a fuzzier, ball-park kind of date for an object.

Click on the images below to read some brief descriptions of various dating systems. Learn a little more about the tools archaeologists use to reconstruct our human history.