Things often aren’t what they seem!

Dating techniques are often the key to working out whether a fossil, a painting, an antique or an archaeological object is a forgery or the real thing. This is important for establishing something’s value or significance.

Some forgeries are attempts to distort important questions about the past - such as: how long has man existed, who discovered America or the origins of a race or nation. Collectors have paid out large sums of money for counterfeit objects. Museums and Galleries have been deceived by some of the finest forgeries.

Some owners, though, have a reticence to place objects under the scrutiny of such techniques as it may result in a family heirloom being branded a fake. The significance of a religious relic, to some faiths, is beyond question. Attempts by scientists and historians to prove the date of such objects will often be denied.