[ElkGroveDan]

Too bad carbon dating isn't reliable past 5,000 years otherwise this would be all the more interesting.

Actually the low end of carbon 14 dating is on the order of 50,000 years.

[nmh]

"Actually the low end of carbon 14 dating is on the order of 50,000 years."

No. 5,000 years is as accurate as it can get because we have enough knowledge to make the necessary adjustments. Since we lack knowledge beyond that - climate etc. it's guesswork.