On the Resolution of¹⁴C Dating Anomalies: Case Studies from New World Archaeology

Abstract

ABSTRACT. We submit that anomalies in radiocarbon data in archaeological studies should be viewed positively as a stimulus to undertake further targeted research. Additional analyses to resolve anomalies have the potential to provide important insights into heretofore unstudied or incompletely understood depositional or geochemical processes affecting 14 C values, particularly in certain types of samples and samples from certain types of environments. We consider 2 major categories or sources of 14 C dating anomalies that we posit are mostly responsible for the vast majority of problematic 14 C results: anomalous sample contexts and anomalous sample composition. Two additional sources of 14 C anomalies are much more rarely encountered. Six case studies taken from New World archaeological studies are briefly presented to provide examples of where questions concerning the validity of 14 C measurements generated additional and ultimately more accurate understandings of temporal relationships. AMS-based 14 C measurement technology has rendered detailed investigations of 14 C anomalies routinely feasible. ANOMALOUS14 C DETERMINATIONS