scholarly journals The Interpretation of Mesolithic Structures in Britain: New Evidence from Criet Dubh, Isle of Mull, & Alternative Approaches to Chronological Analysis for Inferring Occupation Tempos & Settlement Patterns

2018 ◽  
Vol 84 ◽  
pp. 77-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Mithen ◽  
Karen Wicks ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Change ◽  
Bayesian Analysis ◽  
Settlement Patterns ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Alternative Approaches ◽  
New Evidence

The number of Mesolithic structures known in Britain has significantly increased since 2000, providing new opportunities for economic and social interpretations of this period. We describe a further structure, represented by features from the Mesolithic site of Criet Dubh, Isle of Mull. We compare the inferred Criet Dubh structure to other Mesolithic structures from Britain, notably those described as ‘pit-houses’. We then consider the implications of the radiocarbon dates from such structures for the tempo of occupation and past settlement patterns. While the use of Bayesian analysis of radiocarbon dates has encouraged interpretations of prolonged occupation and sedentism, we propose alternative interpretations with patterns of intermittent occupation for Criet Dubh and the pit-houses, involving their re-use after extended periods of abandonment within a sparsely populated landscape. The ability to debate such interpretations reflects the transformation in Mesolithic research made possible by the discovery of such structures, the use of multiple radiocarbon determinations, the application of Bayesian analysis, and the exploration of associations between cultural and environmental change. These developments have made the Mesolithic a particularly innovative period of study.

The Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in western Scotland: a review and new evidence from Tiree

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Mithen ◽  
Anne Pirie ◽  
Sam Smith ◽  
Karen Wicks
Keyword(s):  
Settlement Patterns ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Early 20Th Century ◽  
Hunter Gatherers ◽  
Population Replacement ◽  
Dietary Analysis ◽  
Neolithic Transition ◽  
Contradictory Evidence ◽  
New Evidence ◽  
Existing Data

Although both the Mesolithic and Neolithic of western Scotland have been studied since the early 20th century, our knowledge of both periods remains limited, as does our understanding of the transition between them – whether this is entirely cultural in nature or involves the arrival of new Neolithic populations and the demise of the indigenous Mesolithic hunter-gatherers. The existing data provide seemingly contradictory evidence, with that from dietary analysis of skeletal remains suggesting population replacement and that from settlement and technology indicating continuity. After reviewing this evidence, this chapter briefly describes ongoing fieldwork in the Inner Hebrides that aims to gain a more complete understanding of Mesolithic settlement patterns, without which there can only be limited progress on understanding the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition.

scholarly journals The spread of rice to Japan: Insights from Bayesian analysis of direct radiocarbon dates and population dynamics in East Asia

2020 ◽  
Vol 244 ◽  
pp. 106507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Leipe ◽  
Tengwen Long ◽  
Mayke Wagner ◽  
Tomasz Goslar ◽  
Pavel E. Tarasov
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Bayesian Analysis ◽  
East Asia ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates

Refining Kaminaljuyu Chronology: New Radiocarbon Dates, Bayesian Analysis, and Ceramics Studies

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 477-497
Author(s):  
Bárbara Arroyo ◽  
Takeshi Inomata ◽  
Gloria Ajú ◽  
Javier Estrada ◽  
Hiroo Nasu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bayesian Analysis ◽  
Bayesian Statistics ◽  
Classic Period ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Ceramic Analysis ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Construction Activity ◽  
Early Classic Period ◽  
Year 2000

Since Kaminaljuyu was first systematically excavated in the 1930s, the chronology of the site has been fraught with confusion and scholarly disagreement. In recent years, scholars generally adopted the chronology presented by Shook and Popenoe de Hatch (1999) as the most authoritative account. In 2014, however, Inomata and colleagues proposed a revision of this chronology by shifting its Preclassic portion (including the Las Charcas and Providencia phases) roughly 300 years later in time. In this article, we analyze a total of 108 radiocarbon dates with Bayesian statistics, tying them to detailed ceramic analysis. These dates include previously reported dates, measured after the year 2000, as well as 68 new radiocarbon dates obtained from Kaminaljuyu and nearby sites. The results largely support Inomata and coauthors’ (2014) revised Preclassic chronology, placing the Las Charcas–Providencia transition around 350 BC and the Providencia–Verbena transition around 75 BC. In addition, we present new dates on the Early Classic period, although some ambiguity remains for the Esperanza phase, when Teotihuacan-related elements were introduced to Kaminaljuyu. The revised chronology, combined with environmental data, suggests an explosive increase in population and construction activity during the Verbena and Arenal phases.

scholarly journals New Evidence from the East Polynesian Gateway: Substantive and Methodological Results from Aitutaki, Southern Cook Islands

Radiocarbon ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 1163-1179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melinda S Allen ◽  
Rod Wallace
Keyword(s):  
New Age ◽  
Tropical Pacific ◽  
Human Settlements ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Cook Islands ◽  
Island Colonization ◽  
Settlement Period ◽  
Biological Evidence ◽  
New Evidence

East Polynesia was the geographic terminus of prehistoric human expansion across the globe and the southern Cook Islands, the first archipelago west of Samoa, a gateway to this region. Fourteen new radiocarbon dates from one of the oldest human settlements in this archipelago, the Ureia site (AIT-10) on Aitutaki Island, now indicate occupation from cal AD 1225–1430 (1σ), nearly 300 yr later than previously suggested. Although now among the most securely dated central East Polynesian sites, the new age estimate for Ureia places it outside the settlement period of either the long or short chronology models. The new dates have, however, led to a comfortable fit with the Ureia biological evidence, which suggests not a virgin landscape, but a highly a modified fauna and flora. The results also provide the first systematic demonstration of inbuilt age in tropical Pacific trees, a finding that may explain widely divergent 14C results from several early East Polynesian sites and has implications for the dating of both island colonization and subsequent intra-island dispersals.

Radiocarbon Dating the Iroquoian Occupation of Northern New York

2019 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. 748-761 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J. Abel ◽  
Jessica L. Vavrasek ◽  
John P. Hart
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Bayesian Analysis ◽  
High Precision ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates

The results of Bayesian analysis using 43 new high-precision AMS radiocarbon dates on maize, faunal remains, and ceramic residues from 18 precontact Iroquoian village sites in Northern New York are presented. Once thought to span AD 1350–1500, the period of occupation suggested by the modeling is approximately AD 1450–1510. This late placement now makes clear that Iroquoians arrived in the region approximately 100 years later than previously thought. This result halves the time in which population growth and significant changes in settlement occurred. The new chronology allows us to better match these events within a broader Northeast temporal framework.

A New Archaeological Chronology for Aztec-Period Calixtlahuaca, Mexico

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela C. Huster ◽  
Michael E. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Discriminant Analysis ◽  
Bayesian Analysis ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Historical Information ◽  
Complementary Methods ◽  
Site Abandonment ◽  
Three Phases

We describe the development of a new chronology for the Postclassic site of Calixtlahuaca, Toluca, Mexico. We identify three ceramic phases using discriminant analysis of decorated and plainware types. These phases are consistent with excavated stratigraphy, as well as a series of 54 radiocarbon dates. We then assign absolute dates to the phases using Bayesian analysis of radiocarbon dates and historical information on the date of site abandonment. The resulting chronology identifies three phases at the site: Dongu (A.D. 1130-1380), Ninupi (A.D. 1380-1450), and Yata (A.D. 1450-1530). We then discuss the local and regional implications of the chronology. More broadly, our results demonstrate the utility of using multiple, complementary methods for developing more precise chronologies.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document