RESEARCH BASE
Search 3,717 documents across 34 fields — every claim tier-rated by evidence
15 results for "stratigraphy"
D_2_05 — Troy (Hisarlik): Schliemann, Stratigraphy, and the Birth of Field Archaeology
Troy (modern Hisarlik, northwestern Turkey) is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world, identified with the legendary city of Homer's Iliad. The mound contains at least nine major stratigraphic layers sp
E_4_18 — Tephra Chronology: Volcanic Ash as Geological Clock
Tephrochronology is the use of volcanic tephra layers (ash, pumice, and other pyroclastic deposits) as time markers (isochrons) for dating and correlating geological, paleoenvironmental, and archaeological sequences acro
G_1_12 — Geoarchaeology — Sediments, Soils, and Site Formation Processes
Geoarchaeology applies the principles and methods of earth sciences — geology, geomorphology, sedimentology, soil science, and geochemistry — to archaeological problems, focusing on the geological context of archaeologic
M_5_26 — Levantine Archaeology: Crossroads of Ancient Civilizations
The Levant — the eastern Mediterranean corridor encompassing modern Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and southeastern Turkey — is arguably the most archaeologically consequential region on Earth. It witnessed t
M_4_03 — Archaeological Dating Disputes and Controversies
Archaeological dating methods — the techniques used to determine the age of artifacts, structures, and deposits — are the backbone of all claims about the human past. Radiocarbon dating (carbon-14 analysis, developed by
E_4_14 — Stratigraphic Methods and Geological Timekeeping
Stratigraphy — the study of rock layers (strata) and their sequential relationships — is the foundational framework for understanding geological time and establishing the chronology of Earth's 4.54-billion-year history.
E_4_25 — Bayesian Age Modeling: Statistical Frameworks for Archaeological Chronology
Bayesian age modeling — the application of Bayesian statistical inference to combine radiocarbon dates with prior archaeological knowledge (stratigraphy, typology, historical constraints) to produce refined chronological
O_4_13 — Rainbow Mountains: Zhangye Danxia and Chromatic Geology
The world's "Rainbow Mountains" — strikingly multicolored geological formations displaying vivid bands of red, orange, yellow, green, blue-gray, and white rock — represent some of Earth's most visually spectacular natura
O_5_17 — Deep Time: Geological Chronology and the Scale of Earth History
Deep time is the concept that Earth's geological history extends across approximately 4.54 billion years — a scale so vast that human civilization occupies less than 0.00001% of it. First articulated by James Hutton in 1
H_2_15 — Re-Dating Controversies: Sites Older Than Thought
The history of archaeology and prehistory is punctuated by re-dating controversies — cases where new evidence or improved dating technology revealed that sites, artifacts, or traditions were significantly older than prev
H_4_07 — History of Archaeology: From Antiquarianism to Modern Science
Archaeology as a discipline evolved from Renaissance-era antiquarian curiosity through Enlightenment collecting into a rigorous, methodologically grounded science. Key turning points include Thomsen's Three-Age System (1
E_3_18 — Black Mat: Younger Dryas Boundary Layer Geochemistry
The "black mat" is a thin, dark, organic-rich sedimentary layer found at dozens of archaeological and geological sites across North America, dating to the onset of the Younger Dryas stadial (~12,800 cal BP). First system
E_4_21 — Oxygen Isotope Stages: Marine Isotope Record and Climate Cycles
The marine oxygen isotope record — constructed from measurements of the ratio of oxygen-18 to oxygen-16 (δ¹⁸O) in the calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) shells of foraminifera (single-celled marine organisms) preserved in deep-se
E_5_05 — Late Devonian Mass Extinction: Kellwasser and Hangenberg Events
The Late Devonian mass extinction (~372–359 Ma) was not a single catastrophe but a series of extinction pulses spanning approximately 25 million years, making it unique among the "Big Five" mass extinctions. The two most
ZB_5_19 — The Anthropocene: Human Dominance of Earth Systems and Epoch Dating
The Anthropocene — a proposed geological epoch defined by the dominant influence of human activity on Earth's geology, climate, and ecosystems — has become one of the most consequential and contentious concepts in modern
BROWSE BY SECTION — 3717 documents across 34 fields