Martin Aitken

Martin Jim Aitken FRS (11 March 1922[1] – 13 June 2017[2]) was a British archaeometrist.[3][4]

Aitken was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire, and studied physics at Wadham College, Oxford. He was a fellow of Linacre College, Oxford.[5] He was Professor of Archaeometry at the University of Oxford from 1985 until he retired in 1989.[5][6]

Aitken organised annual meetings which became the Symposium on Archaeometry and Archaeological Prospection".[7] He had an interest in absolute dating: radiocarbon dating from 1957, thermoluminescence dating from the 1960s, and later helped develop optically stimulated luminescence as a dating method dating.[5]

He died in June 2017 at the age of 95.[8]

  1. ^ Ellis, Linda (2000). Archaeological Method and Theory: An Encyclopedia. New York: Garland Publishing. p. 10. ISBN 978-0815313052.
  2. ^ "Martin Aitken: A personal recollection". Quaternary Geochronology. 48: 145. 2018. doi:10.1016/j.quageo.2018.09.004. S2CID 240138096.
  3. ^ "Jubilee Aitken - an eightieth birthday celebration" (PDF).
  4. ^ M. J. Aitken at Library of Congress, with 10 library catalogue records
  5. ^ a b c Aitken, Jessica (24 August 2017). "Martin Aitken obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  6. ^ Hall, E. T.; Aitken, M. J.; Sayre, E. V. (1990). "On the Retirement of Teddy Hall and Martin Aitken". Archaeometry. 32: 3–6. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4754.1990.tb01076.x.
  7. ^ "Research Laboratory for Archaeology & the History of Art". ox.ac.uk.
  8. ^ Avis de décès (in French)