Vole clock

The vole clock is a method of dating archaeological strata using vole teeth. Investigations at sites across Europe have allowed construction of a detailed framework of how different vole species evolved over the last million years, and where and when specific taxa became extinct.[1]

For many sites it is considered the most accurate way of dating, and also provides information on the climate and local environment e.g. in the Pleistocene.[1] Dr. Francis Wenban-Smith of Southampton University, a Stone Age specialist on assignment for Oxford Archaeology, described the vole clock as "one of the wonders of modern science".[2] However, an article published by Robert A. Martin concludes that "Sampling, chronological, and statistical issues seriously limit the accuracy and thus practical application of vole clocks generated from fossil arvicolid rodent samples"[3] Among his critiques, Martin points out that size change (in teeth and animals) is not uniform over time and does not necessarily move in one direction.