![]() ![]() When a living thing dies, it stops interacting with the biosphere, and the carbon 14 in it remains unaffected by the biosphere but will naturally undergo decay.ĭecay of carbon 14 takes thousands of years, and it is this wonder of nature that forms the basis of radiocarbon dating and made this carbon 14 analysis a powerful tool in revealing the past. The unstable and radioactive carbon 14, called radiocarbon, is a naturally occurring isotope of the element carbon. Carbon 14 dating remains to be a powerful, dependable and widely applicable technique that is invaluable to archaeologists and other scientists. ![]() Radiocarbon dating has been around for more than 50 years and has revolutionized archaeology. Over the years, archaeology has uncovered information about past cultures that would have been left unknown had it not been with the help of such technologies as radiocarbon dating, dendrochronology, archaeomagnetic dating, fluoride dating, luminescence dating, and obsidian hydration analysis, among others. It is in knowing what made past cultures cease to exist that could provide the key in making sure that history does not repeat itself. ![]() But archaeology’s aim to understand mankind is a noble endeavor that goes beyond uncovering buried treasures, gathering information, and dating events. Studying the material remains of past human life and activities may not seem important or exciting to the average Joe unlike the biological sciences. There is a greater part of man’s unwritten past that archaeology has managed to unravel. Archaeologists, on the other hand, provide proof of authenticity of a certain artifact or debunk historical or anthropological findings.Īrchaeology has undoubtedly enriched mankind’s history like no other science. Anthropologists can describe a people’s physical character, culture, and environmental and social relations. Historians can tell what cultures thrived in different regions and when they disintegrated. History, anthropology, and archaeology are three distinct but closely related bodies of knowledge that tell man of his present by virtue of his past.
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