ASSIGNMENT 1
(CARBON DATING AND TWO
OBJECTS FROM EASTERN
CIVILIZATIONS)
Submitted to:
ASSIGNMENT 1 Mam Madiha Yousaf
Submitted by:subtitle]
[Document
Falak Naz
Roll No:
2018-B.Chem-07
Department:
Chemistry
Date: June 26, 2020
Table of Contents
Carbon Dating ................................................................... 2
➢ Radiocarbon Dating Process ...................................... 2
➢ What is Carbon Dating? ............................................. 2
➢ Limitations ................................................................. 3
➢ Materials .................................................................... 3
➢ How it works ............................................................. 3
➢ History ....................................................................... 3
➢ Advantages ................................................................ 4
Object 1(Haniwa Warriors)............................................... 5
Object 2(Ukiyo-e: pictures of the floating world) ............. 7
References......................................................................... 9
1
CARBON DATING PROCESS
Carbon dating is also known as radiocarbon dating.
RADIOCARBON DATING PIONEER:
American physical chemist Willard Libby led a team of
scientists in the post-World War II era to develop a
method that measures radiocarbon activity. He is credited
to be the first scientist to suggest that the unstable carbon
isotope called radiocarbon or carbon 14 might exist in
living matter.
Mr. Libby and his team of scientists were able to publish
a paper summarizing the first detection
of radiocarbon in an organic sample. It was also Mr.
Libby who first measured radiocarbon’s rate of decay and
established 5568 years ± 30 years as the half-life.
In 1960, Mr. Libby was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in recognition of his efforts to
develop radiocarbon dating.
WHAT IS RADIOCARBON DATING?
Radiocarbon dating is a method that provides objective age estimates for carbon-based
materials that originated from living
organisms. An age could be estimated by
measuring the amount of carbon-14 or
carbon-12 present in the sample and
comparing this against an internationally
used reference standard.
The impact of the radiocarbon dating
technique on modern man has made it one
of the most significant discoveries of the
20th century. No other scientific method has
managed to revolutionize man’s
understanding not only of his present but also of events that already happened thousands of years
ago. Archaeology and other human sciences use radiocarbon dating to prove or disprove
theories. Over the years, carbon 14 dating has also found applications in geology, hydrology,
geophysics, atmospheric science, oceanography, paleoclimatology and even biomedicine.
2
LIMITATIONS:
It cannot be used for the samples older than 60,000 years (Reported as greater than
43,500 BP by Beta Analytic)
CARBON-14 DATABLE MATERIALS:
• Not all materials can be radiocarbon dated. Most, if not all, organic compounds
can be dated. Some inorganic matter, like a shell’s aragonite component, can
also be dated if the mineral’s formation involved assimilation of carbon 14 in
equilibrium with the atmosphere.
• Samples that have been radiocarbon dated since the inception of the method
include charcoal, wood, twigs, seeds, bones, shells, leather, peat, lake mud, soil,
hair, pottery, pollen, wall paintings, corals, blood residues, fabrics, paper or
parchment, resins, and water, among others.
• Physical and chemical pretreatments are done on these materials to remove
possible contaminants before they are analyzed for their radiocarbon content.
HOW IT WORKS:
Radiocarbon dating works by comparing the three different isotopes of carbon. Isotopes
of a particular element have the same number of protons in their nucleus, but different
numbers of neutrons. This means that although they are very similar chemically, they
have different masses. The total mass of the isotope is indicated by the numerical
superscript. While the lighter isotopes 12C and 13C are stable, the heaviest isotope 14C
(radiocarbon) is radioactive. This means its nucleus is so large that it is unstable.
Over time 14C decays to nitrogen (14N). Most 14C is produced in the upper atmosphere
where neutrons, which are produced by cosmic rays, react with 14N atoms. It is then
oxidized to create 14CO2, which is dispersed through the atmosphere and mixed
with 12CO2 and 13CO2. This CO2 is used in photosynthesis by plants, and from here is
passed through the food chain. Every plant and animal in this chain (including us!) will
therefore have the same amount of 14C compared to 12C as the atmosphere (the 14C:12C
ratio).
DATING HISTORY:
When living things die, tissue is no longer being replaced and
the radioactive decay of 14C becomes apparent. Around
55,000 years later, so much 14C has decayed that what
remains can no longer be measured. Radioactive decay can be
used as a “clock” because it is unaffected by physical (e.g.
temperature) and chemical (e.g. water content) conditions. In
5,730 years half of the 14C in a sample will decay (see figure
1, below).
Therefore, if we know the 14C:12C ratio at the time of
death and the ratio today, we can calculate how much
3
time has passed. Unfortunately, neither are straightforward to determine. Carbon dioxide
is used in photosynthesis by plants, and from here is passed through the food chain.
The amount of 14C in the atmosphere,
and therefore in plants and animals, has
not always been constant. For instance,
the amount varies according to how
many cosmic rays reach Earth. This is
affected by solar activity and the earth’s
magnetic field.
Luckily, we can measure these
fluctuations in samples that are dated by
other methods. Tree rings can be
counted and their radiocarbon content
measured. From these records, a
“calibration curve” can be built.
DATING ADVANCES:
In the early years of radiocarbon dating a product’s decay was measured, but this
required huge samples (e.g. half a human femur). Many labs now use an Accelerator
Mass Spectrometer (AMS), a machine that can detect and measure the presence of
different isotopes, to count the individual 14C atoms in a sample. This method requires
less than 1g of bone, but few countries can afford more than one or two AMSs, which
cost more than A$500,000. In addition, samples need to be thoroughly cleaned to remove
carbon contamination from glues and soil before dating. This is particularly important for
very old samples. If 1% of the carbon in a 50,000-year-old sample is from a modern
contaminant, the sample will be dated to around 40,000 years. Because of this,
radiocarbon chemists are continually developing new methods to more effectively clean
materials.
4
OBJECT 1
HANIWA IN THE FORM OF A WARRIOR
(JAPANESE CIVILIZATION)
This object is a haniwa (lit. “clay ring”), a type of funerary article made
during the Kofun era (300–552). Many kinds of haniwa have been
found, including both simple clay cylinders and more elaborate forms,
such as human figures, houses, boats, and many kinds of animals.
Haniwa Horse
Clay cylindrical haniwa
ABOUT OBJECT:
This elaborate example represents a male
warrior, about four feet tall, elevated
on a high, cylindrical base. Like other
haniwa, it was constructed of clay, using
the coil method. The small, tubular arms
were made separately and attached at the
shoulder.
Haniwa in the form of a warrior, approx. 300–552. Japan;
excavated at Fujioka, Gunma Prefecture. Kofun period (300–552).
Earthenware. Courtesy of the Asian Art Museum, The Avery
Brundage Collection, B60S204.
5
• Throughout the Kofun era, enormous burial mounds called kofun (lit. “old tombs”) were
constructed for powerful clan chiefs. A variety of funerary objects, including metal
blades, stone jewelry, and vessels, were buried within the tomb mounds, but instead
haniwa were on top of the grave mound, a visible reminder of the deceased’s presence
there.
FUNCTION:
• Several explanations have been proposed for the function of haniwa. Some scholars
believe that they were used to define the perimeter of a sacred enclosure, protecting the
deceased and separating his world from the space of the living. Others argue that haniwa
were arranged a top to reenact ceremonies relating to the burial, or possibly to the next
ruler’s succession. Historical sources from a slightly later period, such as the eighth
century Nihon shoki, suggest that people who saw these figures standing above ancient
tombs invested them with magical powers.
• Warrior figures like this one provide evidence of a military class active well before the
rise of the Taira and Minamoto clans in the twelfth century. The pose of this haniwa—
frontal and erect, with one hand grasping the sword in readiness—suggests its role as a
protector of the tomb, its inhabitant, and his successor.
COSTUME AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH MILLITARY ATTIRE:
• The soldier wears a hip-length tunic, billowing trousers tied below the knee, a riveted
helmet, shoulder guards, high gauntlets, and a sword. The trousers, like those worn by
contemporary northern horsemen of the Six Dynasties period (220–589) in China, reflect
the influence on Japan during this period. The form of the costume loosely resembles
later Japanese defensive armor, though it lacks the large, hinged upper-arm shields
characteristic of medieval forms such as the “great armor” (oyoroi) and the lighter
“corselet armor” (domaru).
6
OBJECT 2
UKIYO-E: PICTURES OF THE FLOATING WORLD
(JAPANESE CIVILIZATION)
• The art of ukiyo-e is most frequently associated with colour woodblock prints, popular
in Japan from their development in 1765 until the closing
decades of the Meiji period (1868-1912).
• The earliest prints were simple black and white prints
taken from a single block. Sometimes these
prints were colored by hand, but this process
was expensive.
• In the 1740s, additional woodblocks were used to print the colors
pink and green, but it wasn't until 1765 that the
technique of using multiple color woodblocks was perfected.
• The glorious full colour prints that resulted were known as
nishiki-e or 'brocade pictures'.
• The term translates as 'Pictures of the Floating World' and is
associated with subjects and a certain aesthetic.
THEMES:
• BEAUTIES AND ACTORS
'Pictures of the Floating World', the literal translation of
ukiyo-e, refers to the licensed brothel and theatre districts
of Japan's major cities during the Edo period. Inhabited by
prostitutes and Kabuki actors, these were the playgrounds Geisha in a Hurry, Utagawa
Kuniyasu, about 1816-1818.
of the newly wealthy merchant class.
7
• LANDSCAPES:
Perhaps the most iconic of all ukiyo-e prints, Hokusai's
'Great Wave off the Coast of Kanagawa' is an arresting
example of a landscape print. Centuries of peace during the
Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji:
Edo period, and the development of a sophisticated
The Great Wave off the Coast
highway network, fostered a culture of mass travel in Japan.
• HEROIC TALES:
Japan has a long and rich tradition of folklore and
storytelling. These tales of heroes and villains, monsters and
Shoki the Demon Queller,
demons, provided dramatic subjects for woodblock prints. Kawanabe Kyosai, 1864-1868.
• FAN PRINTS:
Fans are still a common sight in the heat of the
Japanese summer. In the Edo period (1615-1868),
they provided a popular format for print designers'
ingenuity and imagination.
Fan Sellers by Suzuki Kiitsu, 1832.
8
REFERENCES
➢ https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-radiocarbon-dating-and-how-does-it-
work-9690
➢ https://www.radiocarbon.com/about-carbon-dating.htm
➢ https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-content/asian-art-museum/aam-japan-topic/aam-
japan/a/haniwa-in-the-form-of-a-warrior
➢ https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/56036771/ukiyo-
e_Art_of_the_Far_East.docx?1520880871=&response-content-
disposition=attachment%3B+filename%3DUkiyo-
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