Martin Aitken

{{short description|British archaeologist}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

Martin Jim Aitken FRS (11 March 1922{{cite book|last=Ellis|first=Linda|title=Archaeological Method and Theory: An Encyclopedia|year=2000|publisher=Garland Publishing|location=New York|isbn=978-0815313052|page=10}} – 13 June 2017{{cite journal|title=Martin Aitken: A personal recollection | doi=10.1016/j.quageo.2018.09.004 |journal=Quaternary Geochronology|volume = 48| pages=145 |year = 2018| s2cid=240138096 }}) was a British archaeometrist.{{cite web|url=http://www.aber.ac.uk/temp-ancient-tl/issue20_1/notices_atl_20(1)_29-32.pdf|title=Jubilee Aitken - an eightieth birthday celebration}}{{LCAuth|n84167794|M. J. Aitken|10|ue}}

Aitken was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire, and studied physics at Wadham College, Oxford. He was a fellow of Linacre College, Oxford.{{cite news |last1=Aitken |first1=Jessica |title=Martin Aitken obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/aug/24/martin-aitken-obituary |access-date=18 November 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=24 August 2017 |language=en}} He was Professor of Archaeometry at the University of Oxford from 1985 until he retired in 1989.{{cite journal| doi=10.1111/j.1475-4754.1990.tb01076.x | volume=32|journal=Archaeometry|pages=3–6|year = 1990|last1 = Hall|first1 = E. T.| last2=Aitken | first2=M. J. | last3=Sayre | first3=E. V. | title=On the Retirement of Teddy Hall and Martin Aitken }}

Aitken organised annual meetings which became the Symposium on Archaeometry and Archaeological Prospection".{{cite web|url=http://www.arch.ox.ac.uk/rlaha.html|title=Research Laboratory for Archaeology & the History of Art|work=ox.ac.uk}} He had an interest in absolute dating: radiocarbon dating from 1957, thermoluminescence dating from the 1960s, and later helped develop optically stimulated luminescence as a dating method dating.

He died in June 2017 at the age of 95.[https://www.dansnoscoeurs.fr/martin-jim-aitken/2110971/avis Avis de décès] (in French)