with known ages expressed as either
| Below are descriptions of 6 samples, with known ages expressed as either AD or BC (also called BCE). Convert these dates to BP dates (using 1950 as “the present.”) Also, convert the three estimates of C-14 years in the second table to BP dates. | ||
| Some materials with known age | BP Age | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Douglas Fir tree rings – excavated from a cave in Arizona. Date: 577 ± 50 years AD | |
| 2. | Wood from Egyptian coffin – from the Ptolemic period based on style. Date: 200 ± 150 years BCE | |
| 3. | Wood fragments from the floor of a palace in Syria – Syro-Hittite period. Date: 675 ± 50 years BCE | |
| 4. | Giant Sequoia tree rings from California. Date: 979 ± 52 years BCE | |
| 5. | Cedar of Lebanon fragments from funeral boat of Egyptian King Sesostris III. Date: 1843 ± 50 years BC | |
| 6. | Wood from the tombs of Egyptian Kings Sneferu and Zoser. Average Date: 2650 ± 75 years BCE | |
| Assuming this is 1999, convert these ages into BP dates. Example: an article that’s 1000 years old has a BP age of 951.[BP = Age – (Today -1950) = 1000-(1999-1950) = 951] | ||
| Age | BP Date | |
| 7. | Wood from Bristlecone Pine of White Mountains, California. Age 4731 ± 75 years | |
| 8. | Pleistocene mammoth bone from La Brea Tar Pits of Los Angeles, California. Age: 12,200 ± 35 years | |
| 9. | Cottage roof timber from Ireland. Date: 906 ± 35 years |
