Radiocarbon Dating

Radiocarbon Dating inaugurates a new series, "Interpreting the Past," published jointly by the British Museum and the University of California Press. Approaching archaeological techniques and artifacts from an interpretive viewpoint, the series looks in detail at specific classes of artifacts that have contributed most to our knowledge of the past, and at particular investigative techniques that are now being used to refine this knowledge and thereby to question previous assumptions. In Radiocarbon Dating, Sheridan Bowman provides a much-needed introduction to the complex field of carbon dating. Writing lucidly and knowledgeably, she explains the uses and quirks of radiocarbon results, illustrating them with such famous examples as Stonehenge and the Shroud of Turin. With its clear presentation of how to collect samples for radiocarbon dating, her book will be an invaluable source for all archaeologists and geologists.