The ceramostratigraphy has to be examined in the light of other
dating methods in order to serve as a chronological reference,
where, in the case of Saint-Blaise/Bains des Dames, it was confronted
with typology, dendrochronology, and the stratigraphy. Dendrochronology
is a method of absolute dating that can furnish the precise
year in which a structure was built; the study of wood chips,
and the correlation between posts from different periods and
the archaeological material were fundamental factors for our
research. Indeed, a functional (chronological) correlation was
postulated between the permanent structures (habitation) of
the site and the movables (potsherds) recovered during the excavation.
The purpose of the successive confrontations was to provide
each assemblage with a coherent date.