1959年笔者和蔡莲珍从中国科学院原子能研究所调到中国社会科学院考古研究所做¹⁴C测年工作，当时国内没有参照的实验室，没有这一类的仪器工厂。面对一片空白，我们首先从调研文献开始，了解国外最新技术的发展情况，然后根据国内的条件制定了研制探测器及一系列用于测量的电子仪器，建立屏蔽室，建立制作样品的真空系统等所有的实验设备。这样一整套周密的计划，报经夏鼐所长批准后实施。在克服了各种困难之后，终于在1965年建成实验室。经过盲测，获得一批考古年代数据，达到了考古学家可以满意应用的水平，从而填补了国内这方面的空白。

中国社会科学院考古研究所实验室面向全国考古界，测出数以千计的¹⁴C年代数据，并编辑出版了《中国考古学中碳十四年代数据集（1965—1991）》。使不同地区的各种新石器文化有了年代关系的框架，使中国的新石器时代考古学因为有了确切的年代序列而进入了一个新时期。同时，结合考古开拓的相关研究有：

第一，新石器时代遗址经常出现白灰面，经化学分析其主要成分是碳酸钙，但无法证明是经过人工烧制石灰形成的。我们认为石灰是石灰石经过烧制后形成的氧化钙，使用时加水形成氢氧化钙，干燥后再吸收大气中的二氧化碳，又形成碳酸钙，其中的碳则含有¹⁴C，可用于测定年代。因此我们采集了一批白灰面样品测定年代，证明至少在4000多年前，中国就已经能烧制石灰了。

第二，河南巩县铁生沟遗址出现有煤炭，于是有人认为汉代炼铁燃料已经使用了煤炭。我们认为铁中的碳来自冶炼时燃料的碳，可以采集各个时期的铁样进行¹⁴C测定。结果证明直到宋代才开始用煤炭炼铁。宋代以前炼铁燃料用的都是木炭。

第三，南方石灰岩地区，考古发现许多早期洞穴遗址和贝丘遗址，¹⁴C测出的年代均在9000—8000年前，甚至有超过1万年的，因此怀疑样品可能受死碳影响致使年代偏老。经中国社会科学院考古研究所和北京大学考古学系常规¹⁴C实验室的实地考察和测定研究得出，陆生动植物样品一般不受死碳影响；水生动植物样品会受到不同程度的影响，贝壳的年代一般偏老1000—2000年。因而证实南方许多洞穴和贝丘遗址年代是很早的。

第四，我们利用动物骨样品提取骨胶原测年的机会，对人和动物的骨胶原作了¹³C和¹⁵N的同位素分析，研究了新石器时代人类的主食和肉食情况，以及渔猎和家养动物的情况，得出北方人主食以小米为主，南方人主食以稻米为主。这样，在国内开辟了将稳定同位素分析应用于研究古人类和动物食谱的新领域。

随着¹⁴C测年技术的发展和不断完善，¹⁴C测年的精度在提高，出现了高精度树轮校正曲线，因而可以使采用系列样品方法测定出考古事件的日历年代误差大为缩小。

所谓系列样品方法，就是按田野考古层位或文化分期采集的系列样品，测出一系列¹⁴C年代，同时做树轮年代校正。因为这些样品在考古上有相对序列，同时做树轮年代校正时能相互制约，因而使校正后的样品日历年代误差大为缩小。

对此，我们在20世纪80年代就已经加以关注，1995年5月在河南偃师召开的“中国商文化国际学术讨论会”上发表了《解决商周纪年问题的一线希望》的主题演讲，在国内最先提出了上述系列样品测年方法。同年年底在策划“夏商周断代工程”国家重点研究课题的会议上，提出将其应用于夏商周时期的考古年代测定是有参考价值的。

本书专门阐述了¹⁴C测年技术的发展过程以及该技术在中国考古学中的应用，特别是系列样品¹⁴C测年方法应用以后，在建立考古年代框架方面使年代误差比以前大为缩小。

由于考古年代学研究课题是跨学科的，要照顾到各方面读者的需求。即既可以提供给历史考古界的专家选择阅读有关部分内容，了解目前中国考古年代学的最新研究成果，也可以供本行业专家全面审视。对于一般有兴趣的广大学者，也可以由浅入深了解大致的内容和研究状况。为此，我们还专门编写了：

第一章，¹⁴C测年方法研究；第二章，为提高精度所做的技术改进研究；第三章，系列样品¹⁴C测年方法中的数据处理研究；第四章，结合夏商周考古实际测定的情况；第五章，夏商西周考古年代测定的讨论与结论；最后附上有关夏商周考古年代学研究的论文10篇。

¹⁴C测年与中国考古年代学研究所取得的成果，应该说是两个学科相合作的集成成果，特别是“夏商周断代工程”的多学科合作，极大地推动了将系列样品¹⁴C测年方法应用于夏商周考古工作。本书的编写仅是体现了我个人对实施系列样品¹⁴C测年方法的看法和对成果的认可。为阐述全面，书后附选了10篇有关论文，其中6篇是与蔡莲珍合作的，由于长期在¹⁴C测年工作中的合作研究，我们在思路和观点上有较好的沟通，其中1篇是和张长寿合作的，他是夏商周断代工程中西周课题负责人。在编写本书时，相互都曾交换过意见，并受到他们的热忱支持。当然，书中可能出现的缺点和错误，只能由我个人负责。诚恳期待专家和广大读者的批评指正，以便在今后考古年代学研究工作中改进。

In 1959, the author and Cai Lianzhen were transferred from the Institute of Atomic Energy of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences to do 14C dating work, at that time there was no reference laboratory in China, and there was no such instrument factory. Faced with a blank, we first started by investigating the literature, understood the development of the latest foreign technology, and then developed the development of detectors and a series of electronic instruments for measurement according to domestic conditions, established a shielding room, established a vacuum system for making samples and other experimental equipment. Such a complete set of careful plans was implemented after being approved by Director Xia Nai. After overcoming various difficulties, the laboratory was finally built in 1965. After blind testing, a batch of archaeological age data was obtained, which reached a level that archaeologists can apply satisfactorily, thus filling the gap in this aspect in China. The laboratory of the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences measured thousands of 14C dating data for the national archaeological community, and edited and published the "Carbon 14th Dating Data Set in Chinese Archaeology (1965-1991)". Various Neolithic cultures in different regions have a framework of chronological relations, so that Chinese Neolithic archaeology has entered a new period because of the exact chronological sequence. At the same time, the relevant research combined with archaeological development includes: First, Neolithic sites often appear white ash surfaces, and the main component of chemical analysis is calcium carbonate, but it cannot be proved to be formed by artificial firing lime. We believe that lime is calcium oxide formed after limestone is fired, and calcium hydroxide is formed by adding water when used, and then absorbing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere after drying, and calcium carbonate is formed, and the carbon in it contains 14C, which can be used to determine the age. So we took a batch of white ash surface samples to date, proving that lime could be fired in China at least 4,000 years ago. Second, coal appeared at the site of Tieshenggou in Gong County, Henan, so some people believe that coal was used for iron smelting fuel in the Han Dynasty. We believe that the carbon in iron comes from the carbon of the fuel at the time of smelting, and we can collect iron samples from various periods for 14C measurement. It turned out that iron smelting from coal did not begin until the Song Dynasty. Before the Song Dynasty, charcoal was used for iron smelting. Third, in the limestone area of the south, many early cave sites and shell mound sites have been found in archaeology, and the age measured by 14C is 9000-8000 years ago, and even more than 10,000 years old, so it is suspected that the sample may be affected by dead carbon and cause aging. According to the field investigation and measurement research of the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the conventional 14C laboratory of the Department of Archaeology of Peking University, terrestrial animal and plant samples are generally not affected by dead carbon. Aquatic animal and plant samples will be affected to varying degrees, and the age of shells is generally 1000-2000 years old. Thus confirming that many cave and shell mound sites in the south are very old. Fourth, we used the opportunity of animal bone samples to extract collagen dating to perform isotopic analysis of 13C and 15N of bone collagen in humans and animals, and studied the staple food and meat of Neolithic humans, as well as the situation of fishing, hunting and domestic animals, and concluded that the staple food of northerners is mainly millet, and the staple food of southerners is rice. In this way, a new field of application of stable isotope analysis to the study of paleohuman and animal diets has been opened up domestically. With the development and continuous improvement of 14C dating technology, the accuracy of 14C dating is improving, and a high-precision tree-ring correction curve has appeared, which can greatly reduce the calendar age error of archaeological events determined by a series of sample methods. The so-called series of sample method is to measure a series of 14C years according to a series of samples collected according to the archaeological strata of the field or cultural stages, and at the same time do tree ring age correction. Because these samples have relative sequences in archaeology, and can constrain each other when doing tree-ring dating correction, the calendar dating error of the corrected samples is greatly reduced. In May 1995, we delivered a keynote speech entitled "A Glimmer of Hope for Solving the Problem of Shang Zhou Chronicle" at the "International Symposium on Chinese Business Culture" held in Yanshi, Henan, and was the first in China to propose the above series of sample dating methods. At the end of the same year, at the meeting of planning the national key research project of "Xia Shang and Zhou Dynasty Project", it was proposed that its application to the archaeological dating of the Xia Shang and Zhou period was of reference value. This book specifically expounds the development process of 14C dating technology and the application of this technology in Chinese archaeology, especially after the application of 14C dating method of series samples, the age error is greatly reduced than before in establishing the archaeological age framework. Since archaeological chronology research topics are interdisciplinary, the needs of all audiences should be taken into account. That is, it can not only provide experts in the field of historical archaeology to choose to read relevant parts of the content, understand the latest research results of Chinese archaeological chronology, but also provide comprehensive examination by experts in the industry. For scholars who are generally interested, they can also understand the general content and research status from shallow to deep. To this end, we have also specially prepared: Chapter 1, 14C dating method research; Chapter 2, technical improvement studies to improve accuracy; Chapter 3, Data processing research in 14C dating method of series samples; Chapter 4, combined with the actual archaeological determination of Xia Shang Zhou; Chapter 5, discussion and conclusion of archaeological dating of Xia Shang and Western Zhou; Finally, 10 papers on the archaeological chronology of Xia Shang Zhou are attached. The results of 14C dating and Chinese archaeological chronology research should be said to be the integrated results of the cooperation between the two disciplines, especially the multidisciplinary cooperation of the "Xia Shang Zhou Dynasty Project", which greatly promoted the application of the 14C dating method of series samples to the archaeological work of Xia Shang and Zhou. The preparation of this book only reflects my personal views on the implementation of the 14C dating method of the series of samples and the recognition of the results. In order to elaborate comprehensively, 10 relevant papers are selected at the back of the book, 6 of which are in collaboration with Cai Lianzhen, due to the long-term collaborative research in 14C dating work, we have better communication of ideas and views, one of which is in cooperation with Zhang Changshou, who is the leader of the Xia Shang Zhou Dynasty Project. During the preparation of this book, we both exchanged views and received their enthusiastic support. Of course, the shortcomings and errors that may occur in the book are only my personal responsibility. We sincerely look forward to the criticism and correction of experts and readers in order to improve it in future archaeological chronology research.（AI翻译）