misdating

Assigning incorrect time

Misdating is assigning an incorrect date to something—a document, artifact, or event.

The error may place something too early or too late: Carbon dating revealed the manuscript had been misdated by two centuries.

The term applies to both accidental errors and deliberate falsification.

chronology

timeline

Ordered display of events

anachronismHistorical time-placement error
periodizationDivision into distinct periods
epochDistinct historical period

era · antiquity · prehistory · medieval · provenance · sequence · contemporaneity · succession · temporal · backdating

errors

anachronism

Historical time-placement error

miscalculationError in estimation
misattributionCrediting the wrong source
misinterpretationIncorrect understanding of meaning

misjudgment · discrepancy · inconsistency · misreckoning · mislabeling · misidentification · confusion · oversight · blunder · inaccuracy

methods

carbon-14

Radioactive isotope for dating

radiometricMeasuring by radiation
dendrochronologyDating via growth rings
stratigraphyStudy of rock layers

thermoluminescence · potassium-argon · paleography · numismatics · epigraphy · uranium-lead · radiocarbon · typology · seriation · provenance

artifacts

fossil

Preserved ancient organism

manuscriptOriginal text before publication
paintingPigment on canvas
artifactHuman-made historical object

pottery · coin · inscription · document · letter · forgery · relic · sculpture · textile · codex

Opposites

temporal accuracy

misdatingauthentication

Confirming genuine identity

verification · authenticating

Family

date, dated, update, dating, dates, outdated, updated, updating, updates

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