"In this book, archaeologists with expertise in stratigraphy, ceramic dating, dendrochronology, radiocarbon dating, archaeomagnetic dating, obsidian hydration, and luminescence dating present historical and nontechnical reviews of the growth, development, and application of their techniques.

These reviews, as well as one by a sociologist of science, provide archaeologists who do not specialize in such methods with a better understanding of how each technique became integrated within archaeological research. Each expert then evaluates the effect of the specific dating technique and its resulting data on the interpretation of North American prehistory. The analyses, which include case studies, provide guidelines for the proper interpretation of chronologic and chronometric data.".

"It's About Time will be of use to professional archaeologists, as well as being accessible for anyone with an interest in the history and techniques of modern archaeology."--BOOK JACKET.