Antiquities can increase age due to cattle leg

Chronology of artifacts can be miscalculated for thousands of years if cattle 's legs step on them.

The legs of cattle can cause the earth's objects to rise or sink deeper. (Photo: Internet).

Archaeologists often calculate the age of artifacts from the Stone Age based on the depths of antiquities found, ie the greater the depth, the higher the age of artifacts. Scientists apply many other ways to calculate the age of antiquities, but many of them depend on factors that people do not find in stone, such as carbon.

Metin Eren , a Southern Methodist University archaeologist in the US, says experts can only calculate the age of antiquities by carbon radioactive methods for organic matter related to antiquities. For example, if antiquities or fossils are located next to a tree branch, they will calculate the age of the tree branch and assume that the antiquity also has the same date. Thus, if no organic material is found next to or inside the artifact, people can only calculate their age based on the depth of the ground.

Archaeologists have long known that antiquities can be disturbed if animals enter the area containing antiquities, even if the soil in that area is very dry and hard. National Geographic said that in a recent experiment, Eren and colleagues buried a few stone artifacts down a muddy valley in India's Jurreru River valley and asked local cattle farmers for buffalo and goats go back in the yard. After a while, when the marsh became dry they went back to the scene to dig in artifacts.

The team found that some objects were pushed down by another 21 cm. With a new depth, their chronology can increase for thousands of years. Conversely, some objects are pushed to a higher position, causing their chronology to decrease.

According to Eren 's argument, if the leg of the cattle rests on the top of the artifact, the trampling force causes it to sink. But in case the cattle leg is placed next to the artifact, the force of trampling causes the soil beneath the foot to sink and push the object up.