Science and Creationism
11. Archaeology
© Colin Frayn, 2008-2011
www.frayn.net
Dating Ancient Cultures
• BCE / CE instead of BC / AD
– Means the same thing, but culture
neutral
• Dating methods:
– C-14
– Written records
– Archaeological remains
– Geological events
© Colin Frayn, 2008
www.frayn.net
History of Civilisation
• Paleolithic
(2.6 Myr – 20,000 BCE)
– Early stone age
– The origin of simple tools, art, burial, villages
• Mesolithic
(20,000 – 10,000 BCE)
– Middle stone age
– Complex tools, archery, boats
• Neolithic
(10,000 – 3,300 BCE)
– Late stone age
– Pottery, agriculture, cities, trade
• Bronze age (3,300 – 1,300 BCE)
• Iron Age (1,300 BCE - 400 CE)
© Colin Frayn, 2008
www.frayn.net
Civilisation in 4004 BCE
(The alleged year of creation)
• The Uruk period of Sumerian history
• The Chalcolithic (copper) age
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Just before the Bronze age (~3300 BCE)
First appearance of copper artefacts
First stable towns and cities
Trade routes established of over 1,000 miles
• The City of Mehrgarh
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Located in Pakistan, discovered in 1974
Continuously occupied 7000 – 2600 BCE
Evidence of farming and herding before 5000 BCE
Evidence of pottery, ornaments, burial sites
• 5000 BCE: Development of writing
• 4000 BCE: Development of the wheel
© Colin Frayn, 2008
www.frayn.net
Civilisation in 2500 BCE
(When the flood allegedly occurred)
• Egyptians had just finished building the pyramids
of Giza
– The Old Kingdom stood between 3rd and 6th dynasties (c.
2686 – 2134 BCE)
– No record in Egyptian texts of a flood
– Unbroken line of Egyptian Pharaohs
• Stretches back to ~3150 BCE
• Bristlecone pine “Methuselah” is 200 years old
– Germinated ~ 2,700 BCE
– A global flood would have killed it
• Construction of Stonehenge begins
© Colin Frayn, 2008
www.frayn.net
The Oldest Farmers
• Farming arose before 10,000 BCE
– The “Neolithic Revolution”
– The first domestication of plants
• Domestication of crops can be traced using DNA
studies to identify age of common ancestors
• Individual grains can be dated using Carbon-14
• 7000 BCE : Domestication of cattle & pigs
• 6000 BCE : Farming reaches the banks of the Nile
• 5000 BCE : Farming reached Western Europe
© Colin Frayn, 2008
www.frayn.net