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History vocabulary · Archaeology Basics

Terminus ante quem

Meaning in history, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In history, terminus ante quem means: A chronological limit by which an event or deposit must already have occurred.

In Turkish: en geç mümkün tarih, öncesine tarihleme sınırı

How it is used

Often abbreviated TAQ; explain the later evidence that supplies the upper limit.

Example sentences

  1. A dated drawing of the completed bridge supplied a terminus ante quem for its construction.

    The bridge must already exist when a reliable drawing depicts it.

  2. The sealed floor gave a terminus ante quem for the pit beneath it.

    The earlier feature predates the event that securely covers it.

Common collocations

  • provide a terminus ante quem
  • an archaeological terminus ante quem
  • chronologyThe order in which events happened, or a list or table that sets out events and their dates in that order.
  • stratigraphyThe study of the layers of soil and debris at a site, based on the principle that lower layers were usually laid down before the ones above them.

More terms: Archaeology Basics

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