The outcome for the absolute dating of Minoan civilization thus remains uncertain. When complete, the Anatolian dendrochronology will provide a more precise calibration for Near Eastern radiocarbon dates. Further, if it can be firmly linked with local Bronze Age archaeology, we will also have an invaluable control on historical chronology, including that of Egypt itself, because of the close connections which existed between the Hittite kings and the pharaohs. In the meantime, radiocarbon dating is still of little help in providing answers to the conundrum of Dark Age chronology. In practice, we have to fall back on traditional methods, primarily pottery dating.
Pottery thus enables the strata of a given site to be easily dated within a local sequence.
Discoveries of imported pottery allow links to be made between the chronologies of different cultures, while finds of key styles of pottery in those areas with written records allow the whole framework to be attached to historical dates. Ancient history has often been compared to a mosaic, a patchwork built up from tiny scraps of evidence. A jigsaw puzzle is a much better metaphor, especially when dealing with chronology. But before about the 7th century BC the task is different. The edges of the puzzle, in this case the chronologies of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, are not as certain as they are usually thought to be.