A new dating method finally
is allowing archaeologists to incorporate rock paintings
into the tapestry of evidence used to study life
in prehistoric times. Dr. Marvin. W. Rowe of Texas
A&M University, describes a new, highly sensitive
dating method, called accelerator mass spectrometry
that requires only 0.05 milligrams of carbon (the
weight of 50 specks of dust). That's much less than
the several grams of carbon needed with radiocarbon
dating.
The research included analyzing
pictographs from numerous countries over a span
of 15 years. It validates the method and allows
rock painting to join bones, pottery and other artifacts
that tell secrets of ancient societies, Rowe said.
"Because of the prior lack of methods for dating
rock art, archaeologists had almost completely ignored
it before the 1990s," he explained. "But with the
ability to obtain reliable radiocarbon dates on
pictographs, archaeologists have now begun to incorporate
rock art into a broader study that includes other
cultural remains."
