scholarly journals Radiocarbon Dating in Near-Eastern Contexts: Confusion and Quality Control

Radiocarbon ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 1155-1166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes van der Plicht ◽  
Hendrik J Bruins
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Sample Selection ◽  
Radiometric Dating ◽  
Environmental Research ◽  
Near Eastern ◽  
Egyptian History ◽  
Proper Interpretation ◽  
Excavation Site

Near-Eastern archaeology has long remained oblivious to radiocarbon dating as unique historical calendars brought about a perception that 14C dating is superfluous. Circular chronological reasoning may occur as a result. There is now strong 14C evidence that the early part of Egyptian history seems older than age assessments currently in vogue among scholars. It is vital to apply systematic and high-quality 14C dating to each and every excavation in the Near East to measure time with the same yardstick. Such a strategy will enable chronological comparison of different areas at an excavation site and also between sites and regions, independent of cultural deliberations. This is essential for proper interpretation of archaeological layers and association with data from other fields. Radiocarbon (14C) is the most common radiometric dating tool applied in archaeology, geosciences, and environmental research. Stringent quality control is required to build up a reliable 14C chronology for the historical periods in Near-Eastern contexts. Important aspects of quality control involve regular laboratory intercomparisons, transparent duplicate and triplicate analysis of selected samples, conventional versus accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) (i.e. sample size), sample selection and association. Finally, bones may provide short-lived dates in important stratigraphic archaeological contexts.

scholarly journals AMS 14C Dating at the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre (SUERC) Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory

Radiocarbon ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Dunbar ◽  
G T Cook ◽  
P Naysmith ◽  
B G Tripney ◽  
S Xu
Keyword(s):  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Tooth Enamel ◽  
Sample Selection ◽  
Sample Pretreatment ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Environmental Research ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
14C Dating ◽  
Commercial Activities ◽  
Main Emphasis

AbstractThis paper describes all the major procedures adopted by the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre (SUERC) Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory. This includes sample pretreatment, graphite production, accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) measurement, associated stable isotope measurements, data handling, and age calculations, but with the main emphasis being on the chemical pretreatment methods. All of the above enable the laboratory to provide a complete analytical service comprising advice on sample selection, preparation and analysis of samples, and Bayesian analysis of resulting 14C (and other) data. This applies to both our research and commercial activities. The pretreatment methods that we mainly focus on are used to remove contaminant carbon from a range of sample types or to isolate a particular chemical fraction from a sample prior to combustion/hydrolysis, graphitization, and subsequent AMS 14C measurement. The methods described are for bone (collagen extraction, with and without ultrafiltration), cremated bone, tooth enamel, charcoal, grain, carbon residues, shell, wood (including alpha-cellulose isolation), peat, sediments, textiles, fuel/biofuel, and forensic samples.

Radiocarbon Dating and Egyptian Chronology—From the “Curve of Knowns” to Bayesian Modeling

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix Höflmayer
Keyword(s):  
Bayesian Modeling ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Near Eastern ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
The World ◽  
Dating Method ◽  
To Come ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Egyptian Archaeology

Radiocarbon dating has become a standard dating method in archaeology almost all over the world. However, in the field of Egyptology and Near Eastern archaeology, the method is still not fully appreciated. Recent years have seen several major radiocarbon projects addressing Egyptian archaeology and chronology that have led to an intensified discussion regarding the application of radiocarbon dating within the field of Egyptology. This chapter reviews the contribution of radiocarbon dating to the discipline of Egyptology, discusses state-of-the-art applications and their impact on archaeological as well as chronological questions, and presents open questions that will be addressed in the years to come.

scholarly journals A Consideration of Some Basic Ideas for Quality Assurance in Radiocarbon Dating

Radiocarbon ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 341-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roy Switsur
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Collaborative Study ◽  
International Collaborative ◽  
Basic Ideas ◽  
International Collaborative Study

Most radiocarbon ages are readily accepted by researchers in all disciplines. It is recognized, however, that discrepancies appear in the literature. These problems have been highlighted by the International Collaborative Study. The introduction of quality control and assurance techniques used in some laboratories for many years could reduce or eliminate aberrant results. I present here some of the basic considerations of this approach in the processes of conventional radiocarbon dating.

A revolution in radiocarbon dating

Antiquity ◽  
1979 ◽  
Vol 53 (209) ◽  
pp. 226-228
Keyword(s):  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
New Method ◽  
Near Eastern ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
Archaeological Materials ◽  
Dating Method ◽  
Atom Counting ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Near Eastern Studies

The conventional radiocarbon dating method relies on the accurate measurement of a sample's beta-ray decay rate in order to determine the age of the sample. The new method instead counts the individual C14 atoms in a sample using an ultra-sensitive mass spectrometer. There are numerous advantages to this approach. The problem of cosmic ray background does not arise. Shorter counting times on samples a thousand times smaller may be possible. We might also expect the production of more accurate age determinations. The new method will permit a great expansion in the variety of archaeological materials which can be dated because only milligram samples will be required. Research on the design of a dedicated C14 atom-counting machine is now in progress. This note is by E. B. Banning, Department of Near Eastern Studies and Department of Physics Archaeometry Laboratory, University of Toronto, Canada, and L. A. Pavlish, Department of Anthropology and Department of Physics Archaeometry Laboratory, University of Toronto, Canada.

scholarly journals Radiocarbon Dating for the Reconstruction of the 1717 CE Triolet Rock Avalanche in the Mont Blanc Massif, Italy

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irka Hajdas ◽  
Ursula Sojc ◽  
Susan Ivy-Ochs ◽  
Naki Akçar ◽  
Philip Deline
Keyword(s):  
Sample Preparation ◽  
Confidence Level ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Landscape Evolution ◽  
Sample Selection ◽  
Rock Avalanche ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Peat Bog ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Mont Blanc Massif

The Arp Nouva peat bog located in the upper Ferret Valley in the Mont Blanc massif was critically evaluated since published radiocarbon dates have led to controversial conclusions on the formation of this swamp. Radiocarbon dating of woody fragments from three pits of up to 1 m depth was used to discuss the question of whether the historically documented rock avalanche occurring in 1717 CE overran the peat bog or settled prior to its formation. For the deepest samples in the pits, calibrated radiocarbon ages between 1,652 and 1950 CE (95.4%; confidence level) were obtained, which fit very well into the time frame of the historical documented 1717 CE rock avalanche event. It can, therefore, be concluded that the Arp Nouva peat bog was formed by blockage of the Bella Combe torrent by the rock avalanche deposits. Furthermore, careful sample preparation with consequent separation of woody fragments from the bulk peat sample has shown that the problem of too old 14C ages can be circumvented. This work demonstrates that a combined geomorphological and geochronological approach is the most reliable way to reconstruct landscape evolution. The key to successful 14C dating is careful sample selection and the identification of the material that might not be ideal for chronological reconstructions.

scholarly journals Radiocarbon Dating of Anthropogenic Carbonates: What Is the Benchmark for Sample Selection?

Heritage ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 1416-1432
Author(s):  
Michael B. Toffolo
Keyword(s):  
Calcium Carbonate ◽  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Sample Selection ◽  
Hydrated Lime ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Synthetic Materials ◽  
Lime Plaster ◽  
Definition Of

Anthropogenic carbonates are pyrotechnological products composed of calcium carbonate, and include wood ash, lime plaster/mortar, and hydraulic mortar. These synthetic materials are among the first produced by humans, and greatly influenced their biological and cultural evolution. Therefore, they are an important component of the archeological record that can provide invaluable information about past lifeways. One major aspect that has been long investigated is the possibility of obtaining accurate radiocarbon dates from the pyrogenic calcium carbonate that makes up most of these materials. This is based on the fact that anthropogenic carbonates incorporate atmospheric carbon dioxide upon the carbonation of hydrated lime, and thus bear the radiocarbon signature of the atmosphere at a given point in time. Since plaster, mortar, and ash are highly heterogeneous materials comprising several carbon contaminants, and considering that calcium carbonate is prone to dissolution and recrystallization, accurate dating depends on the effectiveness of protocols aimed at removing contaminants and on the ability to correctly identify a mineral fraction that survived unaltered through time. This article reviews the formation and dissolution processes of pyrogenic calcium carbonate, and mineralogical approaches to the definition of a ‘dateable fraction’ based on its structural properties.

Radiocarbon Chronology of the Ancient Settlement in the Golan Heights Area, Israel

Radiocarbon ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 625-637 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danuta Michalska Nawrocka ◽  
Danuta Joanna Michczyńska ◽  
Anna Pazdur ◽  
Justyna Czernik
Keyword(s):  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Sample Selection ◽  
Chemical Analyses ◽  
North West ◽  
Archaeological Data ◽  
The North ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Radiocarbon Chronology ◽  
The Town

Carbonate binders from mortars and plasters as well as charcoal fragments sampled at the ancient settlement of Hippos (Sussita) have been subjected to radiocarbon dating by gas proportional counting (GPC) and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). Hippos is situated on the east coast of the Sea of Galilee (32°46′N, 35°39′E) at the top of a hill in the Golan Heights area, Israel. According to historical-archaeological data, the town had functioned since the 3rd century BC until AD 749, when it eventually crumbled into ruins after an earthquake. The appropriate sample selection and preparation based on the results of petrographic observations permitted us to distinguish different phases involved in the expansion of the settlement. More than 200 samples were taken from the settlement and subjected to petrographic and chemical analyses. Of the 200 total samples, about 20 were selected for dating. Here, we present the first 10 results of 14C dating carried out for Hippos. The oldest sample dated thus far gave an age corresponding with the 2nd century BC to 1st century AD—probably indicating an old Roman temple, on the base of which the North-West church (NWC) was later erected. The next dates extend up to the 8th century AD, the age related to the last phase of settlement inhabitation. Research is continuing as new excavations take place.

scholarly journals Radon Elimination During Benzene Preparation for Radiocarbon Dating by Liquid Scintillation Spectrometry

Radiocarbon ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 31 (03) ◽  
pp. 254-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darden Hood ◽  
Ronald Hatfield ◽  
Christopher Patrick ◽  
Jerry Stipp ◽  
Murry Tamers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Liquid Scintillation ◽  
Liquid Scintillation Spectrometry ◽  
Spectral Analyses ◽  
Dynamic Vacuum ◽  
Low Background ◽  
Free Air ◽  
Counting Window ◽  
Age Determinations

Radon gas is a serious contaminant in radiocarbon dating by radiometry. The low specific ionizations associated with the α-particle emitting radon and its β-particle emitting daughters overlap within the 14C counting window. Elimination of radon is therefore imperative for precise 14C age determinations. This paper deals with the sources and mechanism of incorporation of radon affecting 14C dating by liquid scintillation (LS) counting, and reviews conventional radon elimination practices in 14C laboratories. It demonstrates, based on rigorous multichannel and multiparameter α- and β-particle spectral analyses of some 1000 benzene samples, that parent radium is not present and that its daughter radon is quantitatively eliminated during dynamic vacuum recovery of benzene at −78°C. However, the radon-free benzene can be recontaminated by exposure to air containing traces of radon, such as is common in concrete or low-lying laboratories. The use of radon-free air, when exposing the benzene to the atmosphere, and the monitoring of radon counts from the environment and sample benzene in a fixed ‘radon window', are essential prerequisites to the quality control of 14C age determinations in very low background systems.

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