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Name one way in which an archaeologist dates items found on a dig. - Junior Cycle History - Question (iii) - 2023
Question (iii)
Name one way in which an archaeologist dates items found on a dig.
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Name one way in which an archaeologist dates items found on a dig. - Junior Cycle History - Question (iii) - 2023
Step 1
One way an archaeologist dates items found on a dig
Answer
One widely used method for dating items from archaeological digs is Carbon dating. This technique relies on measuring the amount of Carbon-14, a radioactive isotope, found in organic materials. When an organism dies, it stops taking in Carbon-14, and the isotope begins to decay at a known rate. By measuring the remaining Carbon-14 in a sample, archaeologists can estimate the age of the item. This method is effective for dating materials up to about 50,000 years old.