Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
How can we determine the age of an ancient artefact?
The answer lies in carbon-14 dating, a method developed by 1960 Nobel Prize laureate in physics Willard Libby. All living organisms continually renew their carbon-14 reserves, and when they die, the carbon-14 begins to decline at steady pace.
Libby realised it was possible to determine the time of death by measuring these reserves in remains up to roughly 50,000 years old. His discovery revolutionised archaeology.
Carbon-14 dating is still used for revealing details about ancient ecosystems and helping improve our understanding of how human activity is affecting the planet.
This content was created as a co-production between Nobel Prize Outreach and the BBC.
How can we determine the age of an ancient artefact?
The answer lies in carbon-14 dating, a method developed by 1960 Nobel Prize laureate in physics Willard Libby. All living organisms continually renew their carbon-14 reserves, and when they die, the carbon-14 begins to decline at steady pace.
Libby realised it was possible to determine the time of death by measuring these reserves in remains up to roughly 50,000 years old. His discovery revolutionised archaeology.
Carbon-14 dating is still used for revealing details about ancient ecosystems and helping improve our understanding of how human activity is affecting the planet.
This content was created as a co-production between Nobel Prize Outreach and the BBC.
