Final answer:
Scientists use carbon dating to assign a date to organic materials by measuring the decay of carbon-14. Relative dating and stratification help to date fossils and can indirectly date nearby manuscripts. Chronometric methods provide precise dating for a variety of archaeological objects.
Step-by-step explanation:
Scientists have multiple methods to assign a date to manuscripts or fossils. One common technique is carbon dating which is used to date materials that were once living, such as parchment or wood. As living organisms exchange carbon with their environment until they die, the carbon-14 (14C) isotope begins to decay at a known rate. By measuring the remaining carbon-14, scientists can estimate the age of the organic materials, within a margin of error. This method works for samples between 300 and 50,000 years old.
Another method is relative dating, which involves determining the geological ages of fossils by examining the layers of earth they were found in, known as stratification. This can help calculate the rate of speciation of early organisms. Linguistic analysis may be performed on manuscripts to place them within a historical context but is not used to determine the absolute age of fossils.
For inorganic materials or manuscripts, paleontological evidence could be used in a broader sense when fossils are found near the items. For instance, if a manuscript is found near a particular stratum that has been previously dated, that information can help estimate the manuscript's age. Lastly, chronometric dating methods give precise dating ranges for objects, complementing and sometimes confirming dates deduced from other methods.