OSL Dating of Earthen Mortars from a Medieval Building in Northwestern Spain: Crypt of Basílica da AscensiÓn (Allariz, Ourense)

Radiocarbon ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 679-692
Author(s):  
Jorge Sanjurjo-Sánchez ◽  
Rebeca Blanco-Rotea ◽  
Marco V García-Quintela ◽  
Christopher Ian Burbidge

ABSTRACTThere are few papers that focus on optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of earthen mortars. These mortars are abundant in historical buildings in northwestern Spain. The Basílica da AscensiónyForno da Santa building is an unfinished church built on a previous structure that was transformed into a crypt (Allariz, Ourense, NW Spain). Previous archaeological studies established a sequence of phases of construction, the first dating back to the Iron Age, with significant changes occurring in the Early and Late Medieval ages. The only datable material in the crypt is earthen mortar. Thus, eight mortar samples (seven joint mortars and one wall infill) were taken, seven of them dated by OSL. The dose rate was assessed, and the expected equivalent doses estimated based on the established archaeological age. Several grain sizes (from fine to coarse) were used in small multigrain aliquots to assess the equivalent doses and ages. No evidence of partial bleaching was observed in most samples and grain sizes. The resulting ages are younger than expected for most samples. This is explained by the fact that joints were repaired with new mortar from the 16th century onwards.

2011 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 292-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioannis Liritzis

AbstractDaylight radiation resets luminescence ‘clock’ to zero on rock surfaces, but transmission depends on the transparency of the rock. On burial, surfaces are no longer exposed to daylight and accumulation of trapped electrons takes place till the excavation. This reduction of luminescence as a function of depth fulfils the prerequisite criterion of daylight bleaching. Thus rock artefacts and monuments follow similar bleaching rationale as those for sediments. In limestone and marble, daylight can reach depths of 0.5–1 mm and up to 16 mm respectively, while for other igneous rocks e.g. quartz in granites, partial bleaching occurs up to 5mm depth under several hours of daylight exposures and almost complete beaching is achieved in the first 1 mm within about 1 min daylight exposure. The ‘quartz technique’ for limestone monuments containing traces of quartz enables their dating with Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) techniques. The surface luminescence (thermoluminescence, TL or OSL) dating has been developed and further refined on various aspects of equivalent dose determination, complex radiation geometry, incomplete bleaching etc. A historical review of the development including important applications, along with some methodological aspects are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-59
Author(s):  
Jim van der Meulen

AbstractThis article charts the long-term development of seigneurial governance within the principality of Guelders in the Low Countries. Proceeding from four quantitative cross-sections (c. 1325, 1475, 1540, 1570) of seigneurial lordships, the conclusion is that seigneurial governance remained stable in late medieval Guelders. The central argument is that this persistence of seigneurial governance was an effect of active collaboration between princely administrations, lords, and local communities. Together, the princely government and seigneuries of Guelders formed an integrated, yet polycentric, state. The article thereby challenges the narrative of progressive state centralisation that predominates in the historiography of pre-modern state formation.


Boreas ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 587-599 ◽  
Author(s):  
PUTHUSSERRY J. THOMAS ◽  
ANDREW S. MURRAY ◽  
KURT H. KJaeR ◽  
SVEND FUNDER ◽  
EILIV LARSEN

2013 ◽  
Vol 40 (11) ◽  
pp. 3865-3877 ◽  
Author(s):  
João Pedro Tereso ◽  
Pablo Ramil-Rego ◽  
Yolanda Álvarez González ◽  
Luis López González ◽  
Rubim Almeida-da-Silva

Geochronology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 229-245
Author(s):  
Guillaume Guérin ◽  
Christelle Lahaye ◽  
Maryam Heydari ◽  
Martin Autzen ◽  
Jan-Pieter Buylaert ◽  
...  

Abstract. Statistical analysis has become increasingly important in optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating since it has become possible to measure signals at the single-grain scale. The accuracy of large chronological datasets can benefit from the inclusion, in chronological modelling, of stratigraphic constraints and shared systematic errors. Recently, a number of Bayesian models have been developed for OSL age calculation; the R package “BayLum” presented herein allows different models of this type to be implemented, particularly for samples in stratigraphic order which share systematic errors. We first show how to introduce stratigraphic constraints in BayLum; then, we focus on the construction, based on measurement uncertainties, of dose covariance matrices to account for systematic errors specific to OSL dating. The nature (systematic versus random) of errors affecting OSL ages is discussed, based – as an example – on the dose rate determination procedure at the IRAMAT-CRP2A laboratory (Bordeaux). The effects of the stratigraphic constraints and dose covariance matrices are illustrated on example datasets. In particular, the benefit of combining the modelling of systematic errors with independent ages, unaffected by these errors, is demonstrated. Finally, we discuss other common ways of estimating dose rates and how they may be taken into account in the covariance matrix by other potential users and laboratories. Test datasets are provided as a Supplement to the reader, together with an R markdown tutorial allowing the reproduction of all calculations and figures presented in this study.


2019 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 107
Author(s):  
L. M. Tsodoulos ◽  
K. Stamoulis ◽  
C. A. Papachristodoulou ◽  
K. G. Ioannides ◽  
S. Pavlides

We have investigated the application of luminescence dating to sediment and pottery samples from a paleoseismological trench excavated in the Gyrtoni Fault, Tyrnavos Basin, Central Greece. The samples were dated following the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating method, using the Riso TL/OSL DA-20 reader. The OSL ages were obtained from chemically purified quartz and a single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) protocol was followed for the equivalent dose (De) determination. Additionally, samples were collected and analyzed with the method of X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry, in order to assess their elemental composition. Radioisotope sources (109Cd and 241Am) were used for sample excitation, while X-ray spectra were acquired using a Si(Li) detector coupled with standard electronics. The XRF data were submitted to principal component analysis (PCA). This statistical handling aimed to distinguish from which part of the upthrown fault block scarp-derived colluvium and alluvial deposits, parts of the downthrown block were derived and thus estimate the displacement. The results indicated that both the OSL dating method and the XRF analysis combined with PCA can serve as useful tools for paleoseismological investigations.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document