carbon-14 dating

The researchers studied the raw materials and technology and carried out carbon-14 dating, which revealed that the set dates to the early and middle Holocene period, between 9,500 and 6,200 years ago.

In addition, carbon-14 dating of twelve remains has indicated three periods of funerary use in the cave: in 3800 BC, in 2500 BC.

The archaeologists used a process known as carbon-14 dating to find out how old the bone instruments were.

Not only are megafauna bones relatively rare there, but carbon-14 dating could only show that the animals had been gone at least 40,000 years.

Back in the lab, the researchers estimated the ages of different parts of the slices by counting their rings and using carbon-14 dating.