How Old Is It? The Story of Dating in Archeaology

Archaeologists rely on a hidden network of scientific “clocks” to place ancient objects and sites in time. This field, known as geochronology, distinguishes between absolute clocks that tick at a measurable rate and relative clocks that only tell whether one event came before or after another. By choosing the appropriate method, researchers can narrow down when a culture lived, built, or vanished.

The book walks listeners through the most widely used absolute clock—historical records—showing how dates carved on tombstones, monuments, and ancient calendars are translated into our modern calendar. It then examines natural clocks such as tree‑ring chronologies, where patterns of wide and narrow rings create a “signature” that can be matched across centuries and even linked to timber in old buildings. By combining several independent clocks, archaeologists build a more reliable timeline, and the narrative reveals both the power and the challenges of each technique.