Using a multi-proxy analysis of a postglacial sedimentary sequence from a lowland wetland, we address the possible drivers of change in the wetland habitats and surrounding landscapes of southwestern Slovakia. A 5 m-deep core in the Parížske močiare marshes was investigated for pollen, plant macro-remains, molluscs, organic content and magnetic susceptibility. The palaeoecological record extends from the Pleistocene-Holocene transition (≥11,200 cal. BP) to the 5th millennium cal. BP and was correlated with a macrophysical climate model (MCM) and archaeological data. Our results show the transformation of an open parkland landscape with patches of coniferous forest to a temperate deciduous forest at the onset of the Holocene. The record is remarkable for an early occurrence of Quercus pollen and macro-remains around 11,200 cal. BP and its early expansion (10,390 cal. BP) in the vegetation. Such an early spread of Quercus has not previously been recorded in the region, where Corylus is usually the first to expand among temperate trees. This unusual development of forest communities was most probably triggered by a short-lived increase in precipitation and decrease in temperature, as reconstructed by the MCM model. Higher moisture availability and low temperature inhibited Corylus and favoured the spread of Quercus. Later, the climate became drier and warmer, which, together with fires, supported the expansion of Corylus. Since 7300 cal. BP, human activities became most likely the dominant influence on the landscape. Deforestation contributed to soil erosion, which halted the accumulation of organic material after 5520 cal. BP, followed by the accumulation of clay sediments.

No abstract

When constructing absolute chronologies in archaeology, the aim is to detect archaeological events. In this respect, we draw attention to the relation between the radiocarbon ages of human bone collagen samples and the absolute dating evidence on the age at death. In recent material, Mebus Geyh (2001a,b) described the offset between the former and the latter, and suggested the relevant correction. The corrected 14C ages pertain to the age of the individual at death.We have developed an application of Geyh's original observation, which we term the human bone collagen offset (HBCO) correction, to apply to archaeological 14C dates. If the death and interment of individuals are identical, the corrected 14C date reliably informs us about the deposition of the body and accompanying grave goods. In archaeology, the concrete correction value is determined by the anthropologically estimated age of the individual, which we model by a normal (Gaussian) distribution. The eventual impact of the HBCO correction on archaeological chronology depends on the portion of the calibration curve through which the HBCO-corrected date is calibrated. At a certain level of 14C measurement precision, the difference between the HBCO-corrected and non-corrected calendar dates can be considerable.

Abstract:The paper presents new and important 14 C data from eight Eneolithic sites in Campania measured at the Centre for Isotopic Research of Cultural and Environmental Heritage (CIRCE) AMS laboratory in Caserta (Italy). Twenty-four 14 C determinations on bone and charcoal are used here for chronological reconstruction of human habitation and dating of some volcanic eruptions affecting the settlement activity. Our research has shed new light on absolute chronology of the whole Campanian Eneolithic, a period of profound cultural transformations triggered by introduction and use of metals, in particular copper.

Príspevok referuje o výsledkoch najnovšieho výskumného projektu zameraného na 14 C datovanie vzoriek odobratých z predrománskych konštrukcií kostola a nadväzuje tak na prvé výsledky chronometrického výskumu primárneho dreveného prvku stavby, uverejnené v roku 2010. Výsledky novších 14 C meraní spresnili obdobie vzniku murovanej stavby a prispeli tak k poznaniu stavebných dejín jednej z najstarších ucelene stojacich architektúr na území Slovenska. Kľúčové slová: chronometrický výskum-14 C datovanie-predrománska architektúra-sakrálna architektúra.