scholarly journals An Archaeological Mystery Revealed by Radiocarbon Dating of Cross-Flow Nanofiltrated Amino Acids Derived from Bone Collagen, Silk, and Hair: Case Study of the Bishops Baldwin I and Radbot II from Noyon-Tournai

Radiocarbon ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 603-617 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathieu Boudin ◽  
Pascal Boeckx ◽  
Peter Vandenabeele ◽  
Mark van Strydonck
Keyword(s):  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Standard Sample ◽  
Cross Flow ◽  
Sample Pretreatment ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
13Th Century ◽  
Hydrolyzed Protein ◽  
Special Location ◽  
Pastoral Staff

Excavations in the cathedral of Tournai revealed two sepultures, which were identified by the excavators as those of bishops because of their special location in the cathedral. One burial was assigned to Baldwin I, who died in AD 1068, because (1) a ring with the inscription “BAL” was found and (2) a funeral stone with text was present on top of the grave mentioning the name Baldewinus. The second burial probably belongs to Radbot II, who was the successor of Baldwin I, and died in AD 1098. Both burials contained textiles (silk), the skeleton, a wooden pastoral staff, and human hair was still present on the skull of what was presumed to be Radbot II. All the protein-containing materials were degraded and/or contaminated. Standard sample pretreatment methods were not able to remove all the contaminants. Single and double cross-flow nanofiltration of the hydrolyzed protein-containing materials were performed. The sample quality for radiocarbon dating was improved and14C data revealed interesting and surprising results. The14C dates of the wooden pastoral staff and permeate femur confirm that the skeleton and tomb belong to bishop Baldwin I. The14C dates of hair and permeate skull indicate that the skeleton may indeed belong to bishop Radbot II. The younger14C dates of the wooden pastoral staff and silk samples indicate a postburial disturbance of the site burial during the 12th–13th century.

scholarly journals An Archaeological Mystery Revealed by Radiocarbon Dating of Cross-Flow Nanofiltrated Amino Acids Derived from Bone Collagen, Silk, and Hair: Case Study of the Bishops Baldwin I and Radbot II from Noyon-Tournai

Radiocarbon ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 56 (02) ◽  
pp. 603-617 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathieu Boudin ◽  
Pascal Boeckx ◽  
Peter Vandenabeele ◽  
Mark van Strydonck
Keyword(s):  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Standard Sample ◽  
Cross Flow ◽  
Sample Pretreatment ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
13Th Century ◽  
Hydrolyzed Protein ◽  
Special Location ◽  
Pastoral Staff

Excavations in the cathedral of Tournai revealed two sepultures, which were identified by the excavators as those of bishops because of their special location in the cathedral. One burial was assigned to Baldwin I, who died in AD 1068, because (1) a ring with the inscription “BAL” was found and (2) a funeral stone with text was present on top of the grave mentioning the name Baldewinus. The second burial probably belongs to Radbot II, who was the successor of Baldwin I, and died in AD 1098. Both burials contained textiles (silk), the skeleton, a wooden pastoral staff, and human hair was still present on the skull of what was presumed to be Radbot II. All the protein-containing materials were degraded and/or contaminated. Standard sample pretreatment methods were not able to remove all the contaminants. Single and double cross-flow nanofiltration of the hydrolyzed protein-containing materials were performed. The sample quality for radiocarbon dating was improved and14C data revealed interesting and surprising results. The14C dates of the wooden pastoral staff and permeate femur confirm that the skeleton and tomb belong to bishop Baldwin I. The14C dates of hair and permeate skull indicate that the skeleton may indeed belong to bishop Radbot II. The younger14C dates of the wooden pastoral staff and silk samples indicate a postburial disturbance of the site burial during the 12th–13th century.

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.

scholarly journals Radiocarbon Dating of Individual Amino Acids from Archaeological Bone Collagen

Radiocarbon ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 620-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
James S O McCullagh ◽  
Anat Marom ◽  
Robert E M Hedges
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Sample Pretreatment ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Small Samples ◽  
Successful Isolation ◽  
Soil Components ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Quaternary Paleoecology

Since the development of accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) for radiocarbon dating in the late 1970s, its ability to date small samples of bone has been of huge importance in archaeology and Quaternary paleoecology. The conventional approach to sample preparation has been to extract and gelatinize protein, which is then combusted and graphitized for analysis. However, this “bulk protein” can contain a heterogeneous mixture of non-collagenous molecules, including humic acids and other soil components that may be of a different age than the bone and therefore affect the accuracy of its 14C date. Sample pretreatment methods have been an important area of development in recent years but still show inadequacies for the dating of severely contaminated bone. The idea of isolating and dating individual compounds such as single amino acids, to improve dating accuracy, has been discussed in the literature since the 1960s. Hydroxyproline, for example, makes up over 10% of bone collagen but is extremely rare in most other animal proteins, increasing the chances of its presence being endogenous to the individual being dated. Its successful isolation has therefore been considered a potential “gold standard” for dating archaeological bone; however, extracting and suitably purifying single amino acids from bone has proved a challenging task.

Another Way of Early Pottery Distribution in Eastern Europe? Case Study of the Pezmog 4 Site, European Far Northeast

Radiocarbon ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 733-741 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor N Karmanov ◽  
Natalia E Zaretskaya ◽  
Alexander V Volokitin
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Europe ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
River Basins ◽  
Ural Region ◽  
Time Range ◽  
Forest Zone ◽  
Early Pottery

A case study of the Neolithic comb ceramic site Pezmog 4 of the Kama culture presents a situation when results of radiocarbon dating change long-existing concepts concerning the development of archaeological events. Until the early 2000s, the chronology of the Kama culture, distributed mainly in the Kama and Vychegda River basins, has been based on comparative-typological analysis. Estimates of the age of this culture changed from the 3rd millennium BC in the 1950s to the 1st half of the 4th millennium BC by the 1990s. Research concerning the Pezmog 4 site in the central Vychegda River basin in 1999–2002 has abruptly changed this chronological understanding. The data obtained put the age of the early stage of Kama culture within the time range 5750–5620 cal BC and allowed us to propose the existence of another way of early pottery distribution in the forest zone of eastern Europe at the beginning of the 6th millennium BC. This innovation probably penetrated from the trans-Ural region.

Radiocarbon Dating and Dietary Stable Isotope Analysis of Kwaday Dän Ts'inchí

2007 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 719-734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael P. Richards ◽  
Sheila Greer ◽  
Lorna T. Corr ◽  
Owen Beattie ◽  
Alexander Mackie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Human Remains ◽  
Isotopic Analysis ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Contact Period ◽  
European Contact ◽  
Ams Dating ◽  
The Individual

We report here on the results of AMS dating and isotopic analysis of the frozen human remains named Kwaday Dän Ts'inchí and associated materials recovered from a glacier located in Northwest British Columbia, Canada in 1999. The isotopic analysis of bone collagen (bulk and single amino acids) from the individual indicates a strongly marine diet, which was unexpected given the location of this find, more than 100 km inland eroding out of a high elevation glacier; however, bulk hair and bone cholesterol isotopic values indicate a shift in diet to include more terrestrial foods in the year before death. The radiocarbon dating is not straightforward, as there are difficulties in determining the appropriate marine correction for the human remains, and the spread of dates on the associated artifacts clearly indicates that this was not a single use site. By combining the most recent date on a robe worn by Kwaday Dän Ts'inchi with direct bone collagen dates we conclude that the individual likely dates to between cal A.D. 1670 to 1850, which is in the pre-(or early) European contact period for this region.

Aquatic Radiocarbon Reservoir Offsets in the Southeastern Baltic

Radiocarbon ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 539-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gytis Piličiauskas ◽  
Carl Heron
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Curonian Lagoon ◽  
Human Bones ◽  
Ceramic Vessel ◽  
Pike Perch ◽  
Ceramic Vessels ◽  
Ams Dates

The aim of this article is to discuss radiocarbon dating offsets due to freshwater and marine reservoir effects (FRE and MRE, respectively) in the southeastern Baltic. Thirty-six 14C dates from Lithuanian coastal and inland Subneolithic, Neolithic, and Bronze Age sites as well as two Mesolithic-Neolithic cemeteries are presented here. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dates, sometimes paired or tripled, have been obtained on samples of various origin, foodcrusts, or visible charred deposits adhering to the surfaces of ceramic vessel walls were also dated and investigated for stable isotope signals. The results argue for a significant freshwater component in the food processed in ceramic vessels during the Subneolithic and Neolithic. Paired dating of ungulate and human bones at the Spiginas and Donkalnis cemeteries (6300–1900 cal BC) does not suggest an FRE, although stable isotope data on human bone collagen strongly suggest a large input of freshwater food in the diet. An FRE in the order of 320–510 yr was estimated for the Šventoji paleolagoon around 3000 cal BC. At the same time, the FRE of the Curonian Lagoon could be larger as implied by large apparent 14C ages of modern pike-perch (981 ± 30 BP) and bream (738 ± 30 BP) bones as well as “foodcrust” offsets (650–530 yr) at Nida (3500–2500 cal BC). An MRE of 190 ± 43 yr was estimated for the southeastern coast of the Littorina Sea according to offsets between dates of seal bones and terrestrial samples at Nida and Šventoji. Any FRE at Lake Kretuonas remains uncertain due to the limited work to date.

scholarly journals Isotopes, Plants, and Reservoir Effects: Case Study from the Caspian Steppe Bronze Age

Radiocarbon ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 54 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 749-760 ◽  
Author(s):  
N Shishlina ◽  
E Zazovskaya ◽  
J van der Plicht ◽  
V Sevastyanov
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Alternative Explanation ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Human Diet ◽  
Human Bones ◽  
Animal Bone ◽  
Different Types ◽  
C And N ◽  
East And West

Bronze Age human and animal bone collagen from several steppe Bronze Age cultures (i.e. Early Catacomb, East and West Manych Catacomb, and Lola cultures) shows large variations in δ13C and δ15N values. In general, we observed that the older the sample, the lower the δ13C and δ15N values. We hypothesize that more positive values of δ13C and δ15N are caused by change in diet and a more arid climate. For ancient sheep during drier periods of the Early Catacomb, East and West Manych Catacomb, and Lola cultures, we observed 2 groups with different C and N isotopic compositions, reflecting consumption of different types of fodder. During periods of aridization, C4 and C3 plants with high δ15N values appeared in the vegetation, also influencing bone collagen values. Human bones show reservoir effects, caused by aquatic diet components. These effects can be quantified by paired dating of human bone and associated terrestrial samples. Reservoir corrections have revised chronologies for the region. Some paired dates do not reveal reservoir effects. This can be explained in 2 alternative ways. One is that the human diet did not include aquatic components; rather, the diet was based on C3 vegetation with high δ15N values (13–15‰), and flesh/milk of domesticated animals. An alternative explanation is that humans consumed food from freshwater resources without reservoir effects.

scholarly journals Crevice Interments Deconstructed

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Black ◽  
Katherine Spradley ◽  
Michelle Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Native American ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Eighth Century ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Private Collection ◽  
Stable Isotopic ◽  
Skeletal Analysis ◽  
Biological Affinity ◽  
Central Texas ◽  
Lines Of Evidence

The discovery of two well preserved human crania in a crevice overlooking a spring fed creek near Austin, Texas, led to medico legal, archeological, and bioanthropological investigations aimed at understanding the context and biological affinity of the crania. Archeological excavations uncovered no evidence that the crania were interred in the crevice during prehistoric times. Skeletal analysis showed they were of Native American ancestry. Radiocarbon dating indicated they are contemporary to one another and probably date to the seventh or eighth century A.D. Measured stable isotopic rations of carbon ( 13 C/ 12 C) and nitrogen ( 15 N/ 14 N) derived from human bone collagen samples from the crania are not consistent with other burial populations from the region, having higher nitrogen values than all other comparative samples. The crania also showed polish from repeated handling and several of the molars in one cranium had been glued in place. Taken together, these lines of evidence suggest the crania were removed from an unknown locality outside the Central Texas region, kept in a private collection, and placed in the crevice recently.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document