Wiggle matching, also known as ''carbon–14 wiggle-match dating'' (WMD) is a dating method that uses the non-linear relationship between ¹⁴C age and calendar age to match the shape of a series of closely sequentially spaced ¹⁴C dates with the ¹⁴C calibration curve. A numerical approach to WMD allows one to assess the precision of WMD chronologies. The method has both advantages and limitations vis-a-vis the calibration of individual dates. High-precision chronologies are needed for studies of rapid climate changes. Andrew Millard refers to wiggle matching as a way of dealing with the flat portion of the carbon 14 calibration graph that is known as the

Hallstatt plateau The Hallstatt plateau is a term used in archaeology that refers to a consistently flat area on graphs that plot radiocarbon dating against calendar dates. Radiocarbon dates of around 2450 BP (Before Present) always calibrate to c. 800–400 BC, no ...

, named after the

Hallstatt culture The Hallstatt culture was the predominant Western Europe, Western and Central European Archaeological culture, culture of Late Bronze Age Europe, Bronze Age (Hallstatt A, Hallstatt B) from the 12th to 8th centuries BC and Early Iron Age Europe ...

period in central Europe with which it coincides.Millard, A.R Comment on article by Blackwell and Buck https://projecteuclid.org/download/pdf_1/euclid.ba/1340370546

References

Dating methodologies in archaeology {{archaeology-stub