Archaeologists use a variety of methods to date ancient artifacts. Items made from organic materials—like wooden utensils, canvases, and leather goods—can be dated using carbon-14.
But what about a shard from a porcelain jug or a piece of glass? In those cases, carbon dating falls short.
Simply heating the samples can reveal their age by the light they emit. Ceramic and glass objects contain tiny amounts of radioactive material. Over time, free electrons build up in the ceramic structure. When heated, those electrons are released, producing a small burst of radiation that adds to the glow when the object is heated.
That boost is so tiny the naked eye can’t detect it. Fortunately, archaeologists have highly sensitive photometers that can measure it and estimate the age of these artifacts, sometimes as far back as 300,000 years.
