Author: Bob Genheimer, Curator of Archaeology As an archaeologist, one of the most frequent questions that I am asked is “how do you know how old something is?” There are many different answers to that question, mostly depending on what exactly we are trying to date. Knowing how old something is, even if the age is approximate, is important, because without controlling for time, archaeologists can say little about the culture they are studying. In general terms, archaeologists rely on two methods of dating – relative and absolute. As the name implies, relative dating relies on a known relationship between the object you want to date and other objects or features in the same or similar context. So, when we pick up a corner-notched spearpoint with a ground base, we know that it is Early Archaic (ca. 8000-6000 BC) in age because large numbers of […]
[READ MORE]Category Archives: Archaeology
The Story of the Cincinnati Tablet
The Cincinnati Tablet, approx. 1,200 years old, was discovered during 19th-century construction in downtown Cincinnati.
[READ MORE]Egypt’s Most-Searched Questions
Museums answer questions. But who’s asking? One place that’s full of questions is Google. In Most-Searched Questions, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to answer some of the most interesting questions the world has ever asked Google.
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