Obsidian Hydration Dating

Obsidian Hydration Dating

Instructor: Alexander Rogers

The goal of this seminar is to provide insight into the theory and methods of obsidian hydration dating (OHD), a useful addition to the archaeologists’ toolbox for chronometric analysis. It should help enable attendees to ask the right questions, principal investigators to select appropriate methods, and analysts in performing chronometric analyses. The workshop will cover the basic principles of obsidian hydration and the models employed in dating; how to control for temperature and obsidian water content; methods for computing a hydration rate; guidelines for data analysis; and numerous cautions. An link to download a summary document on OHD will be provided, and an Excel spreadsheet with numerical models for conducting an OHD analysis. Mathematics will be kept to a minimum, but cannot be avoided entirely.

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