How old is that mummy anyway?

Plain old seeds and woven baskets from Egyptian archaeological sites are helping scientists date the reigns of mighty pharaohs more precisely.

Figuring out the dates for 3,000 years of pharaonic history can sometimes be as much an art as a science. Scholars have to draw upon textual references and inscriptions, then match them up with ancient astronomical observations and chronologies from other cultures (which kept better records).

Traditional carbon-dating techniques tend to give age estimates within a range of 100 to 200 years for the pharaonic time frame, which the researchers behind the latest study say are "too imprecise" to resolve key questions about Egyptian chronology. However, Oxford University's Christopher Bronk Ramsey and his colleagues said their new method narrows that window to decades or years. 

Learn more: How old is that Mummy anyway?