Luminescence as a Relative Dating Tool: Part B – Application

Abstract

This paper discusses the applicability of using luminescence as a relative numerical dating tool. Examples of when such an application may be useful include the dating of museum materials for which original external dose rate information is no longer obtainable. Without the external dose rate, it is still possible to obtain the relative ages of two or more vessels, which is particularly useful when attempting to ascertain typological sequences or chronological implications of archaeological assemblages. This paper presents a case study on determining the relative numerical age using optically stimulated (OSL) dating, carried out on a group of ancient Egyptian ceramics. This paper is preceded directly by Part A (Highcock et al., 2019) of this article, which presents a derivation of the formulae for obtaining both a relative luminescence age and the associated relative error.