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Other Dating Techniques

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Part of the book series: Manuals in Archaeological Method, Theory and Technique ((MATT))

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Abstract

Amino acid racemization (AAR) uses systematic, natural changes in the structure of amino acids in a substance to measure relative and absolute time. The process of racemization, where the configuration of amino acids is converted from their initial l-form to the D-form, is described in Chapter 5; the principles of stereochemistry are presented in Chapter 6. Racemization occurs in amino acids with one chiral center; when amino acids with two chiral centers undergo interconversion, the process is referred to as epimerization. As AAR utilizes amino acids that undergo both racemization and epimerization, the technique is more precisely referred to as amino acid diagenesis dating. The history and development of the technique are outlined in Hare et al. (1997); Bada (1985) discusses theoretical and analytical aspects and archaeological applications; Johnson and Miller (1997) also describe various archaeological applications but emphasize approaches that can improve the reliability of dates.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, Brandon University, Brandon, Manitoba, Canada

    Mary E. Malainey

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Malainey, M.E. (2011). Other Dating Techniques. In: A Consumer's Guide to Archaeological Science. Manuals in Archaeological Method, Theory and Technique. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-5704-7_11

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