Before radiocarbon dating, dating prehistoric objects from before the 6th century B.C. was largely considered educated guesswork.
Notes on verification
The general claim that pre-radiocarbon dating relied heavily on educated guesswork is well corroborated by independent sources. The specific '6th century B.C.' cutoff comes from a direct expert quote in the original article and lacks independent verification, though it's attributed to a credible named expert.
Sources
- How Radiocarbon Dating Unlocks Ancient History | HISTORY (history.com)
- https://daily.jstor.org/radiocarbon-at-75/ (daily.jstor.org)
- https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/chemistry/radiocarbon-dating (ebsco.com)