Abstract
Dendrochronology, the science of tree-ring dating, Is the most accurate and precise nondocumentary dating method available to researchers studying the recent past. Tree-ring dates are accurate and precise to the year and sometimes the season, and have no associated statistical uncertainty or standard error. Other prominent archeological dating techniques that use natural materials (for example, radiocarbon and archeomagnetism) have been calibrated using dendrochronological samples. 1 It is this precision and accuracy that has allowed archeologists working in the southwestern United States to construct the most detailed chronologies in the world, and to explore a plethora of environmental, social, and behavioral questions regarding past human adaptation to the region.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 68-84 |
Number of pages | 17 |
Journal | Evolutionary Anthropology |
Volume | 11 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2002 |
Keywords
- Dating theory
- Dendrochronology
- Southwest archeology
- Tree-rings
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Anthropology