The study of art history and archaeology depends substantially on dates which are given to artefacts and works of art. Very few students, however, have an understanding of matters of chronology or of the source material that determines the dates. In this study the author sets out to explain this crucial facet of classical scholarship. Short introductory chapters outline the archaeology and chronology of the ancient Greek and Roman world. The core of the study is two chapters on relative and absolute dating which seek, by use of specific examples, to convey the principles behind how dating is...