I haev (yet another) dumb question:
If “archaeomagnetism,” which looks for signatures of the Earth’s magnetic field in archaeological items, will improve the history of Earth’s magnetic field, and can help better date artifacts that they previously couldn’t, WHICH means of dating governs the other?
In other words, doesn’t one or the other have to be firmly established as valid before being used to create a timeline for the other?
They actually complement each other.
Carbon dating is valid for organic items, like wood, fabrics and bones.
Magnetism is valid for non-organic items like pottery, ceramics and metals.
Bu using both, scientists can determine WHEN and HOW STRONG the Earth’s magnetic field was changing and in what direction............
The dating was done by other methods; the fluctuations of the Earth’s magnetic field can be measured and dated at the same time.