The spectroscopic age of 47 Tucanae

High signal-to-noise ratio integrated spectra of the metal-rich globular cl uster 47 Tuc, spanning the Hy, and Fe 4668 line indices, have been obtained . Jones & Worthey have suggested that the combination of these indices is t he best available mechanism for cleanly separating the age-metallicity dege neracy that hampers the dating of distant, unresolved, elliptical galaxies. For the first. time, we apply this technique to a nearby spheroidal system , 47 Tuc, for which independent ages, based upon more established methods, exist. Such an independent test of the technique's suitability has not been attempted before but is essential before the: technique's application to m ore distant, unresolved, stellar populations can be considered valid. Becau se of its weak series of Balmer lines relative to model spectra, our result s imply a spectroscopic age of 47 Tuc well in excess of 20 Gyr, which is at odds with the color-magnitude diagram age of 14 +/- 1 Gyr. The derived met al abundance, however, is consistent with the known value. Although the obs ervational constraints are restrictive, existing data cannot entirely exclu de emission "fill-in" of the H gamma line as the source of the discrepancy.