Unit 3
Establishing Chronological Controls

Overview

Unit 3 focuses on the premises of chronological ordering of archaeological materials, which is the first step of archaeological analysis. Comprehending the horizontal and vertical stratigraphy of a site is essential for placing artifacts and features in an appropriate context, both within the site and among related sites in the region. These premises are discussed in Section 3.1 along with an introduction to geological, chemical, physical, and statistical science methods as aids for creating temporal classifications. Section 3.2 discusses classification schemes, which are particularly useful when no corresponding stratigraphic information is available.

3.1 Technical Tools for Building Chronologies

Introduction

This section describes why chronologies are needed and how they are revealed. Aside from the basic indicator of stratigraphy, archaeologists rely on many techniques borrowed from the sciences to date archaeological materials. The concepts, applications, interpretations, and limitations of six such techniques are presented in detail.

Objectives

When you have completed this section, you should be able to

1. distinguish between relative and absolute dating.
2. describe the use, application, and limitations of the following techniques: tree ring dating, radiocarbon dating, thermoluminescence, potassium-argon dating, optically stimulated luminescence, electron spin resonance, and stratigraphy.
3. identify 15 other dating techniques, and classify them as relative or absolute.
4. describe the following basic stratigraphic principles applied to archaeology: superposition, index fossil concept, horizontal stratigraphy, arbitrary stratigraphy, marker beds, and reverse stratigraphy.
5. give two examples of the significance of cross-checking the results of one dating technique with another.

3.2 Conceptual Tools for Building Cultural Histories

Introduction

Archaeologists classify large quantities of data into generalized categories. Each classification type aids in the analysis of artifacts and features by placing them in temporal, and thus, culturally related categories. The use of temporal classifications helps to elucidate culture history and culture process.

Objectives

When you have completed this section, you should be able to

1. discuss the relationship between artifact types and the purpose of the classification.
2. define “attribute,” and name five different morphological attributes for projectile points and for pottery.
3. define the terms “component,” “phase,” “tradition,” “horizon,” and “time marker."
4. explain how analysis moves from the definition of morphological types to the definition of temporal types.
5. describe the assumptions behind “seriation” and “mean ceramic dates.”
6. outline conditions under which seriation is a useful technique for temporal ordering.
7. distinguish between cultural chronology and cultural history.
8. evaluate the evidence for Archaic and non-Archaic occupations of the McIntyre site.
9. evaluate the validity of the McIntyre site radiocarbon dates.
10. summarize the types of observations made on the McIntyre artifacts.