Requirement
3. Dating: two methods, and absolute against relative
Required Often forgotten
At least two ways archaeologists determine the age of sites, structures or artifacts, then what absolute dating and relative dating mean. Requirement 4(a) asks you to compare the relative ages of your five sites, so this is the vocabulary that answer is written in.
Notes and warnings
Note. THIS IS THE VOCABULARY REQUIREMENT 4(a) IS ANSWERED IN. Absolute dating puts a date on something, relative dating puts things in order without dating either of them, and stratigraphy is the everyday example of the second. Requirement 4(a) then asks you to compare the RELATIVE AGES of your five sites, which is that second idea applied across a set. The badge names no requirement number there, so this plan draws no arrow, but the numbering already puts requirement 3 first and there is every reason to keep it that way.
Where this step comes from
- Archaeology Merit Badge Requirements (Merit Badge Hub, last modified 2025-12-31), Requirement 3 · The requirement asks for at least two ways of determining age, and for an explanation of what absolute dating and relative dating are.