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History vocabulary · Archaeology Basics

Cross-dating

Meaning in history, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In history, cross-dating means: Dating material by matching its characteristics with comparable material in an independently established sequence.

In Turkish: çapraz tarihlendirme, karşılaştırmalı tarihlendirme

How it is used

Explain the comparison and its independent anchor; circular comparisons cannot establish a secure date.

Example sentences

  1. Cross-dating linked the imported pottery to a dated sequence at another port.

    An external sequence supplies information unavailable locally.

  2. The team rejected cross-dating against a sequence dated only from the pottery they were testing.

    The proposed reference was not independent of the material being tested.

Common collocations

  • archaeological cross-dating
  • cross-dating pottery
  • chronologyThe order in which events happened, or a list or table that sets out events and their dates in that order.
  • artifactAn object made or shaped by people, such as a tool, coin, weapon or piece of jewellery, especially one studied for what it reveals about the past.

More terms: Archaeology Basics

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