Association (or what is sometimes referred to as "The Law of Association" or "The Principle of Association") is a fundamental concept in archaeology. It is the idea that objects found within the same stratigraphic context (a layer, lens, or feature) can be assumed to have been deposited at approximately the same time. Based on this principle, if we are able to date one thing from that context, then we can assume that other things from the same stratum are similar in age. However, this obviously is a dangerous and simplistic assumption and archaeologists are not naive about the complexities of archaeological site formation processes. We know that dating contexts on the basis of Association alone is not always going to provide accurate assessments of chronology.
An archaeologist has found a cooking feature (a fire pit or 'hearth') in the centre of a house and is interested in determining when the house was occupied by dating material from the hearth. Several samples collected from the hearth are suitable for radiocarbon dating, but the archaeologist only has funds to run three dates. Which samples do you believe would provide the best age estimates for the house occupation and which samples do you believe may result in misleading or incorrect dates?
Sample 1: An unmodified mouse bone.
Sample 2: A small piece of wood charcoal.
Sample 3: A deer leg bone fragment with a stone tool cut mark on it.
Sample 4: A small fragment of a bone tool (animal species unknown).
Sample 5: A small piece of burnt wood with some bark attached.
Sample 6: Carbon rich sediment collected from the hearth feature.
Sample 7. A burnt corn cob.
Sample 8. A heavily waterworn and burnt whale rib bone fragment.
