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ABSTRACT. The paper is compares the chronology of the monuments of the Scythian epoch located in the east and west of the Eurasian steppe zone on the basis of both archaeological and radiocarbon data. The lists of 14 C dates for the monuments located in different parts of Eurasia are presented according to the periods of their existence. Generally, the 14 C dates are confirmed the archaeological point of view and allow us to compare the chronological position of the European and Asian Scythian monuments on the united 14 C time scale.

We compared 14C levels in annual growth rings of pine trees around the Tomsk nuclear fuel reprocessing plant (NFRP) and the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (NPP). At the Chernobyl site, samples were taken from the control area (within a 30-km radius zone around the site) to a distance of 80 km. In Tomsk, we collected samples between 8–10 km and 10–15 km from the site, taking into account prevailing wind directions. Background samples were collected 200 km from the plant. Samples were converted to benzene and counted in an ultra-low-level LSC Quantulus 1220™. Because of the Chernobyl accident, a signal can be detected in the background of routine plant operation. Comparison with the Tomsk data suggests that the routine discharges from Tomsk are more significant than the discharge from the Chernobyl accident. We estimated Tomsk NFRP annual discharge level at up to 30–45 TBq 14C from 1985 to 1988.

ABSTRACT. Icon painting in the Ukraine is rooted in the Byzantine culture, after the conversion to the Christian religion. During the medieval epoch, Kiev became the artistic center for highly skilled icon painters. The icons were painted on wooden boards, specially made for this purpose. Historic dating of some even well-known icons is uncertain or not precise. Here we present for the first time radiocarbon dates for selected icons. Both liquid scintillation counting (LSC) and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dating methods were applied, allowing intercomparison.

ABSTRACT. Newly available radiocarbon dates show the early signs of pottery-making in the North Caspian area, the Middle-Lower Volga, and the Lower Don at 8-7 kyr cal BC. Stable settlements, as indicated by "coeval subsamples," are recognized in the Middle-Lower Volga (Yelshanian) at 6.8 kyr cal BC and the Caspian Lowland at about 6 kyr cal BC. The ages of the Strumel-Gostyatin, Surskian, and Bug-Dniesterian sites are in the range of 6.6-4.5 kyr BC, overlapping with early farming entities (StarËevo-Körös-Cri∫ and Linear Pottery), whose influence is perceptible in archaeological materials. Likewise, the 14 C-dated pollen data show that the spread of early pottery-making coincided with increased precipitation throughout the forest-steppe area.