A calendrical date that applies to a site, artifact, or feature.

Radiocarbon dating was invented by the American chemist Willard f. Libby (1908-80) while conducting atom bomb research.

Today the method can provide a reliable date using a single grain of wheat.

An absolute dating method developed by Willard Libby in 1949.

It takes advantage of the fact that all organic materials contain mesurable amounts of radioactive carbon (Carbon 14).

At death, the radiocarbon begins to disintegrate at a known rate. By measuring the amount of radioactive carbon left, scientists can determine how long ago the organism died.

The latest versions of the technique can date objects up to 70,000 years old.

Any system of dating that is not based on a calendrical system.

Often artifacts or sites are described as earlier or later than other artifacts or sites.