Radiocarbon dating (also referred to as carbon dating or carbon-14 dating) is a method for determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of radiocarbon, a radioactive isotope of carbon. The development of radiocarbon dating has had a profound impact on archaeology.

Why is carbon dating accurate?

Radiocarbon dating exploits this contrast between a stable and unstable carbon isotope. During its lifetime, a plant is constantly taking in carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. Advancing technology has allowed radiocarbon dating to become accurate to within just a few decades in many cases.