Comparison of the traditional C₄ date scale with a scale developed by counting tree rings in the bristlecone pine indicates that for any time before 1000 B.C., tree-ring dates are considerably older than radiocarbondates. Thus radiocarbon dates must be calibrated by the tree-ring sequence which at present goes back only to 6270 B.C. Revised dating of European sites makes them older than originally thought and severs the traditionally held cultural links between the early civilizations of the Mediterranean and Near East, and the early prehistoric cultures of the Mediterranean paving the way for a theory of independent development of metallurgy, stonework, etc. -- AATA