Precalc question about carbon dating A wooden artifact recovered from a tomb contains 35% of the carbon-14 that is present in living trees. The half life of carbon-14 is 5730 years. How long ago was the artifact made? Solution N = No * ( 1/2) ^ ( t/ thalf) 0.35 No = No * (1/2) ^ ( t/5730) t / 5730 = ln ( 0.35) / ln ( 0.5) t = 8678.50 years.