Ch. 4

Question 1

Linear and Cyclical Time

Answer 1

in the 19th century bismarck called the “stream of time” what all human societies ride for a time. archaeologists see time as a linear thing. Some non western cultures see it as a cyclical thing. Some think both. Cyclical connects to the seasons. It also connects to fertility and birth.

Question 2

Luminescence Dating

Answer 2

comprising optical stimulated luminescence and thermoluminescence. it measures light emitted from baked clays, heated or burnt stone, and wind blown sediments like sand. Thermoluminescence is claimed to have an accuracy of about +- 7 %. It is mostly used to date pottery or clay fired objects between 50 and about 20000 years.

Question 3

Electronic Spin Resonance

Answer 3

measures radiation induced defects. It can also measure the density of trapped electrons within a bone or shell sample without the need to heat them. It has advantages of being no destructive. It allows dating human fossil fragments up to about a million years.

Question 4

Discovery: Eruption at Akrotiri, Greece, 1967

Answer 4

Half a century ago a greek archaeologist Marinatod speculated that the civilization of crete was damaged due to a volcano. Later on they found buried ash deposits. Local farmers found boulders big enough that they couldn’t move. After digging around they found an island town of 3500 years ago completely buried. known as the greek pompeii.