ABSTRACT
As in many contexts around the world, a large number of archaeological sites in Jordan have been dated using radiocarbon. The tendency to rely on ceramic typologies and relative chronological markers (often cross-linked with the Egyptian chronology), where applicable, has generally resulted in a reduced role for radiocarbon in the archaeological dating of certain time periods (Van der Plicht and Bruins 2001). Near Eastern archaeologists who follow this exclusively and do not take advantage of radiocarbon do so to their detriment. This brief chapter outlines some recent developments in radiocarbon methodologies that may be of interest to archaeologists working in Jordan—especially during the historic periods of the ancient Near East.
