Martin Aitken
- June 15, 2017
- 95 years
About Martin Aitken
Martin Aitken, 95, British archaeometrist.
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Full Biography
|Martin Jim Aitken FRS (11 March 1922 – 13 June 2017) was a British archaeometrist.
Biography
Aitken was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire, and studied physics at Wadham College, Oxford. He was a fellow of Linacre College, Oxford. He was Professor of Archaeometry at the University of Oxford from 1985 until he retired in 1989.
Aitken organised annual meetings that became the Symposium on Archaeometry and Archaeological Prospection. 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.
He died in June 2017 at the age of 95.
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Aitken
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Martin Aitken's archived record and the sources above.
1.In which town was Martin Aitken born?
- A.Cambridge
- B.London
- C.Stamfordcorrect
- D.Oxford
Martin Aitken was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire.
Source: Biography section
2.At which institution did Martin Aitken study physics?
- A.Wadham College, Oxfordcorrect
- B.University of Cambridge
- C.University of London
- D.Linacre College, Oxford
Martin Aitken studied physics at Wadham College, Oxford.
Source: Biography section
3.What academic title did Martin Aitken hold at the University of Oxford?
- A.Professor of Archaeology
- B.Professor of Archaeometrycorrect
- C.Professor of Physics
- D.Professor of Science
Martin Aitken served as the Professor of Archaeometry at the University of Oxford from 1985 until 1989.
Source: Biography section
4.In what year did Martin Aitken start his work with radiocarbon dating?
- A.1952
- B.1957correct
- C.1965
- D.1945
Martin Aitken had an interest in absolute dating including radiocarbon dating from 1957.
Source: Biography section
5.What was Martin Aitken's age at the time of his death?
- A.98
- B.85
- C.90
- D.95correct
Martin Aitken died in June 2017 at the age of 95.
Source: Biography section
6.Martin Aitken was a fellow of which specific college at Oxford?
- A.Linacre Collegecorrect
- B.Trinity College
- C.Wadham College
- D.Balliol College
Martin Aitken was a fellow of Linacre College, Oxford.
Source: Biography section
7.Martin Aitken organized annual meetings that eventually became known as what?
- A.Conference on Physical Archaeology
- B.Symposium on Archaeometry and Archaeological Prospectioncorrect
- C.International Congress of Archaeometrists
- D.Meeting on Absolute Dating Methods
Martin Aitken organised annual meetings that became the Symposium on Archaeometry and Archaeological Prospection.
Source: Biography section
8.In which month and year did Martin Aitken die?
- A.June 2017correct
- B.June 1989
- C.March 1922
- D.March 2005
Martin Aitken died in June 2017.
Source: Biography section
9.What specific dating method did Martin Aitken begin working with in the 1960s?
- A.Thermoluminescence datingcorrect
- B.Dendrochronology
- C.Radiocarbon dating
- D.Potassium-argon dating
Martin Aitken worked with thermoluminescence dating starting from the 1960s.
Source: Biography section
10.Which dating method did Martin Aitken help develop later in his career?
- A.Uranium-series dating
- B.Radiocarbon dating
- C.Thermoluminescence dating
- D.Optically stimulated luminescencecorrect
Martin Aitken helped develop optically stimulated luminescence as a dating method.
Source: Biography section
11.In what year did Martin Aitken retire from his professorship?
- A.1987
- B.1991
- C.1989correct
- D.1985
Martin Aitken was Professor of Archaeometry from 1985 until he retired in 1989.
Source: Biography section
12.What was Martin Aitken's full name as cited in the biography?
- A.Martin Joseph Aitken
- B.Martin James Aitken
- C.Martin John Aitken
- D.Martin Jim Aitkencorrect
The biography identifies him as Martin Jim Aitken FRS.
Source: Biography introduction
13.What was the date of birth for Martin Aitken?
- A.11 March 1922correct
- B.13 June 1917
- C.13 June 1922
- D.11 March 2017
Martin Jim Aitken was born on 11 March 1922.
Source: Biography introduction
14.What professional designation is listed after Martin Aitken's name in the biography?
- A.OBE
- B.PhD
- C.CBE
- D.FRScorrect
Martin Jim Aitken is listed with the post-nominal letters FRS.
Source: Biography introduction
15.Who were the editors of the handbook containing Martin Aitken's entry?
- A.D. R. Brothwell and Oxford University
- B.A. M. Pollard and Martin Aitken
- C.D. R. Brothwell and A. M. Pollardcorrect
- D.Martin Aitken and D. R. Brothwell
The handbook entry mentions D. R. Brothwell and A. M. Pollard as editors.
Source: Bibliography section
16.What was Martin Aitken's primary field of expertise?
- A.Geology
- B.Theoretical Physics
- C.Archaeometristcorrect
- D.Astrophysics
Martin Aitken was a British archaeometrist.
Source: Biography section
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