ASSIGNMENTS PAPER

An assignment submitted for the partial fulfillment of the academic degree

of
Masters of Arts (M.A.)

In the master's program

2rd Semester

At
Principle of Archaeology (NeHCA- 560)
Professor. Dr. Malla Malla
Center Department of Nepalese History, Culture and Archaeology
Tribhuvan University, Nepal

Submitted by
Anoj Subedi
Roll No: 23
Reg no: 6-2-36-6-2012
Kathmandu, Nepal

Date Of Submission
15.07.2021
Context:

1. Explain the importance of the carbon 14 dating method?

2. Pottery is an ABC of archeology?

1) Explain the importance of the carbon 14 dating method?

Answer:
To determine the age of rocks, fossils, or artifacts Dating techniques are
procedures from which we can understand chronological order of
archaeological events that happened in the past. And when it comes to
dating in archaeological sites, generally there are two methods of dating.
One dating method is relative and another is absolute dating.

Relative dating derives from the idea that something is younger or older
relative to something else. In a stratigraphical context objects closer to the
surface are more recent in time relative to items deeper in the ground.
Whereas Absolute dating represents the absolute age of the sample before
the present.

To find the specific age of an object, archaeologists use absolute dating as it

gives more precise and accurate information. Absolute dating methods
measure the physical properties of an object itself and use these
measurements to calculate its age; generally this method is highly
dependent on laboratory analysis.

Radiocarbon dating or (Carbon 14) dating is one of the most useful absolute
dating methods for archaeologists. It works by measuring carbon isotopes,
which are versions of the element carbon. All isotopes of carbon have 6
protons but different numbers of neutrons. One of the carbon isotopes that
occurs in nature is radioactive; it has 8 neutrons and is called carbon-14. All
living things contain carbon and there are three naturally occurring isotopes
of carbon C12, C13, 14.

C14 is naturally radioactive, it is formed in the upper atmosphere through

the interaction of cosmic rays with nitrogen atoms, and the carbon 14 that
has been formed is rapidly oxidized as carbon dioxide and gets incorporated
into the atmosphere.

Plant takes it up from the atmosphere as Co2, so the c14 is rapidly mixed
throughout the environment. Actually there are a lot more c12 and c13 in
living organisms than Carbon 14, but all living things are naturally
radioactive because they contain carbon 14. As long as an organism is living
and breathing and taking in food, then it’s in equilibrium with its
environment, and it has a content ratio of 12 to 13 to 14.
When an organism dies it’s no longer taking in any new carbon, so at that
point the carbon 14 in the organism begins to decay away. That’s kind of
the start of the stopwatch for radiocarbon dating. It can accurately and
precisely measure how much should have been in the sample where it
was alive, we can then use an equation to calculate how much time has
passed since that organism was alive and that’s radiocarbon dating.

As long as there is organic material present, radiocarbon dating is a

universal dating technique that can be applied anywhere in the world. It is
good for dating for the last 50,000 years to about 400 years ago and can
create chronologies.

Being able to date things allows archaeologists to understand how

people’s lives changed over time and to tell histories that connect the
past and present. So very tiny things like carbon isotopes can be used to
answer really big questions.

2. Pottery is an ABC of archeology?

Answer:
During the archaeological investigation Pottery seems to be durable and
survives well in quantities large enough to be useful in statistical analysis.
Frequently it is the most large class of material recovered in the course of
archaeological findings. Pottery is also a reflector of the social and
physical environment in which it was made and used, and is therefore an
indicator of change in social traditions.

Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other
objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high
temperatures to give them a hard, durable form. It is one of the most
common artefacts recovered from archaeological excavations, mainly
because it usually does not decay as easily as artefacts made of other
materials. Although it is widely regarded as a reliable tool for dating,
pottery is significant as evidence for technology, tradition, modes of
distribution, patterns of consumption and site formation processes.
By Analyzing potterys we can reconstruct the history of the Past from
which we can understand the Social, Religious, Cultural, Civilization, Art
and Architectural Aspects. Different designs of vegetation seen in pottery
can help us understand the botany of the past, animals/human figurines,
paintings, dress patterns and Way of life through geometrical patterns;
numerous signs can also help to recontrust history.

Pottery is durable, and fragments, at least, often survive long after

artifacts made from less-durable materials have decayed past
recognition. Combined with other evidence, the study of pottery artefacts
is helpful in the development of theories on the organisation, economic
condition and the cultural development of the societies that produced or
acquired pottery. The study of pottery may also allow inferences to be
drawn about a culture's daily life, religion, social relationships, attitudes
towards neighbours, attitudes to their own world and even the way the
culture understood the universe.

It is an important resource for interpreting the past. In the composition of

its clay, pottery carries a fingerprint of the geological area where the clay
was dug, and geologists can help seek that source.

Collected fragments from excavation tells a story of what happened after

the vessel was abandoned (usually broken) and before it was
rediscovered. It reflects the routine activities of the household or the
organisation of a settlement. Pottery can be studied as documentary, art-
historical, chemical, physical and archaeological techniques, leading to the
formation of typological and chronological sequences.

The discovery of pottery on an archaeological site is a discovery of great

importance. Pottery tells many stories of how it was made and who made
it. It also goes further than this and can tell a great deal about the people
involved in its production. Without the existence of pottery in the
archaeological record that transformation would not have been possible.
Pottery holds an endless supply of information all which may not have
been tapped into.