What is result
The result of radiocarbon dating is the time when the dated material was removed from the carbon cycle. Therefore, we do not determine the birth or death date of an organism, the production date of a wooden object, or the construction date of a building, but rather events such as tooth eruption, wood annual ring or bone collagen formation, and so forth. In the case of bones from an immature individual, the collagen formation time corresponds to the time of death.
When selecting a sample for dating from a archaeological context, it is always necessary to consider which sample is most suitable and what data will be reflected in the final result, including interfering factors.
It is essential that the dated sample meets the condition of being closed to the natural carbon cycle. Otherwise, sample contamination by mobile and subsequently formed humic acids (which reduce the apparent age of the sample) or fossil CO2 from the geological substrate (which increases the age of the sample) may occur. These chemical forms of younger and older carbon must be thoroughly removed from the sample during laboratory processing to avoid distorting the dating result.
