Dating in archaeology is the process of assigning a chronological value to an event in the past. Chronological value can also be considered at different scales. Ordinal scale, often called relative, specifies older or younger but not the distance between events.

What is dating in anthropology?

Determining the age of an object is called dating it. Relative dating only determines if a fossil is older or younger than another fossil. It does not provide an actual age for the fossil. Dating the volcanic glass in surrounding rock layers can help you determine the age of fossils in between those layers.