Use of luminescence dating in archaeology

With improvements in methodology and instrumentation, luminescence dating is becoming a much more useful chronometric tool in archaeology. Procedures for dating ceramics are relatively routine and their accuracy has been demonstrated in a number of studies. Research is aimed at applying ceramic dating in situations where other methods lack the direct dating ability of luminescence to resolve chronological problems. Sediment dating is more difficult because of uncertainty in the extent of zeroing or because of mixtures of different aged deposits. These problems have been addressed by isolating signals most likely to be zeroed and by dating single aliquots, and ultimately single grains. Single-grain dating now has the potential not only to identify and date mixed deposits but to provide valuable information on site formation processes. This is particularly critical for judging site integrity at controversial sites.