Archaeological Limits
Archaeology is defined as the study of human history and prehistory through the recovery and analysis of artifacts and physical remains left behind by distant populations. Fossils and prehistoric tools can be dated by determining the depth and placement of the sediment they were located in. This technique is known as stratigraphy and is an example of relative dating. Compared to absolute dating, another archaeological technique of stratigraphy involved in finding the approximate age of an artifact, relative dating instead relies on working out the relative order of physical remains without determining its age. In contrast, absolute dating is a radiometric technique that involves finding the approximate age of an artifact. However, some researchers dismiss the use of the word "absolute" to describe this technique as it implies an unwarranted certainty of accuracy. Carbon-14 dating is a precise form of absolute dating that is carried out by comparing the composition of carbon isotopes found in artifacts to those located in the atmosphere, however, it can only determine the age of artifacts no older than 70,000 years ago to ensure a certain degree of accuracy. The isotope series, such as uranium or potassium, is also utilised by researchers to date fossils from one million to 4.5 billion years of age with a high degree of precision due to their grandiose half life that can span 0.7 to 48.6 billion years. Due to the limitations of these two precise techniques, it is difficult for researchers to date artifacts that are presumed older than 70,000 years or younger than one million, which can lead to uncertainty and generalisations due to incomplete fossil records. This is incredibly difficult in the field of hominid evolution as the most crucial early ancestors in our lineage existed during this limiting time period. There are other pressing issues that can arise from analysing fossils. The bones of extinct or deceased species are covered in layers of sediment overtime which researchers use to determine their age. However bones can be scattered by water currents, predators, or scavengers before they are enclosed in sediment which can result in incorrect determinations of their approximate age. This can also separate pieces of skeletal remains from one another which may lead to incorrect identification as well.
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