Luminescence Dating of the Iron Age Deposits from Tell Damiyah in the Jordan Valley

Abstract

In this study, we investigate quartz-based luminescence optical dating of Iron Age deposits at the archaeological site of Tell Damiyah in the Jordan valley. Ten samples, taken from different occupation layers from two different excavation areas, proved to have good luminescence characteristics (fast-component dominated, dose recovery ratio 1.032 ± 0.010, n=24). The optical ages are completely consistent with both available 14C ages and ages based on stylistic elements; it appears that this material was fully reset at deposition, although it is recognised that the agreement with age control is somewhat dependent on the assumed field water content of the samples. Further comparison with different OSL signals from feldspar, or investigations based on dose distributions from individual grains would be desirable to independently confirm the resetting of this material. It is concluded that the sediments of Tell Damiyah are very suitable for luminescence dating. Despite the relatively large associated age uncertainties of between 5 and 10%, OSL at tell sites has the potential to provide ages for material very difficult to date by conventional methods, and to identify reworked mixtures of older artifacts in a younger depositional setting.

Towards timing and stratigraphy of the Bronze Age burial mound royal tomb (Königsgrab) of Seddin (Brandenburg, northeastern Germany)

“…Our first attempt to use OSL dating of sand-sized quartz grains to determine the construction period of a burial mound generally shows good applicability of this approach but also reveals challenges (cf. also Porat et al, 2012;Pluckhahn et al, 2015;al Khasawneh et al, 2020). One of the main challenges is the relatively large error of ca.…”

“…Sand-sized quartz grains suitable for optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating, in contrast, can be regarded as ubiquitous in most (if not all) burial mounds located along the European sand belt. However, to the best of our knowledge, OSL dating has not yet been performed on burial mounds in Europe, unlike examples from archeological mound structures (e.g., tells and burial mounds) in the USA, Israel, and Jordan (e.g., Feathers, 1997;Porat et al, 2012;Pluckhahn et al, 2015;al Khasawneh et al, 2020).…”

Luminescence dating of anthropogenic deposits from Tall Zarʿa in the Jordan Valley

“…Previously, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) has been used successfully in dating depositions of Tall structures in the Jordan Valley and identifying post-depositional reworking in the layers (al Khasawneh et al, 2011(al Khasawneh et al, , 2017(al Khasawneh et al, , 2019(al Khasawneh et al, , 2020. In this study, OSL is used to date depositional activity and the construction time of the wall by correlating the latter with the natural sedimentation that took place after the wall was constructed.…”