Dating the Paleolithic: Trapped charge methods and amino acid geochronology

Despite the vast array of different geochronological tools available, dating the Paleolithic remains one of the disci-pline's greatest challenges. This review focuses on two dif-ferent dating approaches: trapped charge and amino acid geochronology. While differing in their fundamental princi-ples, both exploit time-dependent changes in signals found within crystals to generate a chronology for the material dated and hence, the associated deposits. Within each method, there is a diverse range of signals that can be ana-lyzed, each covering different time ranges, applicable to different materials and suitable for different paleoenviron-mental and archaeological contexts. This multiplicity of signals can at first sight appear confusing, but it is a funda-mental strength of the techniques, allowing internal checks for consistency and providing more information than sim-ply a chronology. For each technique, we present an over-view of the basis for the time-dependent signals and the types of material that can be analyzed, with examples of their archaeological application, as well as their future potential.

Automated summary

This review discusses two different dating approaches - trapped charge and amino acid geochronology - that utilize time-dependent changes in crystal signals to establish a chronology for Paleolithic remains. The diverse range of signals provides more information than just a chronology and allows for internal consistency checks.