Application of zirconology to Archaeology: a review

Abstract

Zircon, a useful mineral for dating rocks in geology, has been used to date archaeological remnant or used as a tracer for provenance studies of prehistoric/ancient?tools and potteries. Zircon, because of its diversities in shape, composition and isotopic ratios, has great potential to be a powerful tracer if such information is fully used. Unfortunately, its application in the field of archaeometry is still limited. In this presentation, we aim to introduce recent progress in zirconology" and propose possible applications to archaeology. "