SHIPWRECK: Scientific Dating Methods

GLASSWARE:

Today, our scientists and archaeologists can conducted considerable research into methods of identifying and dating glassware, different methods and minerals have been used to make glassware, and scientific examination can identify the place and date of manufacture of most glassware.

Today, ceramics experts also developed a method of precisely dating glass recovered from the sea. The length of time under the sea is established by counting the number of layers of the weathering crust of the glass fragment. The findings are generally accurate to within a year or tow of the known date of the wreck.
CERAMICS:
Thermoluminescence can be very helpful in determining the dates of ceramic materials such as dinnerware or building bricks.

Radioactivity from certain isotopes in clay is trapped in until the materials is fired in a kiln. The firing release the electrons in a thermoluminesent glow. When the object cools, the electrons are again trapped but continue to increase with the process of decay. In turn, the number of electrons released increases with the length of time. By measuring the number of electrons remaining in the test object, an approximate date of origin can be established.
ORGANIC MATERIAL:
Carbon-dating using radiocarbon 14(C-14) is a well known method for dating very old objects but it is limited to organic material such as wood, bone, charcoal, peat, shell and plant.