"However, after running numerous radiocarbon dates, it became clear they were built much earlier."

According to radiocarbon dating, the cauldrons date back to the late Bronze Age, i.e. they were in use around 2,700 years ago.

For this they combined annual growth ring measurements on wooden building elements with the sudden spike of cosmogenic radiocarbon in 5259 BC.

One strategy that's recently become more feasible to implement is radiocarbon dating.

Using radiocarbon dating, the researchers tested the recovered bones of wild and domesticated animals; the charred seeds of wild plants; crops like wheat and lentils; and weeds that tend to accompany these crops.