Precision and accuracy in applied 14C dating: some findings from the Fourth International Radiocarbon Inter-comparison

Scott, E. M.; Bryant, Charlotte; Carmi, Israel; Gulliksen, Steinar; Harkness, D. D.; Heinemeier, Jan; McGee, E.J.; Naysmith, Philip; Possnert, Göran; Plicht, J. van der; Strydonck, Mark Van

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2002.06.001

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Reliability of the laboratory. Samples from laboratories that did not take part in the laboratory inter-comparison exercises (Scott et al, 2004) were used with caution in site-specific analyses, but included in the SPPs. Samples without laboratory number were rejected.…”

Section: Quality-checking Of 14 C-datesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of resilience to past climate change in Southwest Asia: Early farming communities and the 9.2 and 8.2 ka events

Flohr

Fleitmann

Matthews

et al. 2016

Quaternary Science Reviews

137

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Available online xxxKeywords: Climate and society Southwest Asia Neolithic 8.2 ka event 9.2 ka event Resilience a b s t r a c t Climate change is often cited as a major factor in social change. The so-called 8.2 ka event was one of the most pronounced and abrupt Holocene cold and arid events. The 9.2 ka event was similar, albeit of a smaller magnitude. Both events affected the Northern Hemisphere climate and caused cooling and aridification in Southwest Asia. Yet, the impacts of the 8.2 and 9.2 ka events on early farming communities in this region are not well understood. Current hypotheses for an effect of the 8.2 ka event vary from large-scale site abandonment and migration (including the Neolithisation of Europe) to continuation of occupation and local adaptation, while impacts of the 9.2 ka have not previously been systematically studied. In this paper, we present a thorough assessment of available, quality-checked radiocarbon ( 14 C) dates for sites from Southwest Asia covering the time interval between 9500 and 7500 cal BP, which we interpret in combination with archaeological evidence. In this way, the synchronicity between changes observed in the archaeological record and the rapid climate events is tested. It is shown that there is no evidence for a simultaneous and widespread collapse, large-scale site abandonment, or migration at the time of the events. However, there are indications for local adaptation. We conclude that early farming communities were resilient to the abrupt, severe climate changes at 9250 and 8200 cal BP.

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Section: Quality-checking Of 14 C-datesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of resilience to past climate change in Southwest Asia: Early farming communities and the 9.2 and 8.2 ka events

Flohr

Fleitmann

Matthews

et al. 2016

Quaternary Science Reviews

137

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Archaeologists often appear reluctant to explain why they accept some radiocarbon dates and reject others. (Scott et al 2004). However, radiocarbon dates should always be assessed for reliability according to the above criteria.…”

Section: Radiocarbonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Winding Dali’s Clock: The Construction of a Fuzzy Temporal-GIS for Archaeology

Green¹

2011

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Archaeology is fundamentally concerned with both space and time: dates, chronologies, stratigraphy, plans and maps are all routinely used by archaeologists in their work. To aid in their analysis of this material, the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) by archaeologists has become widespread. However, GIS are conventionally ignorant of time. Thus, if archaeologists are to achieve the fullest potential in the application of GIS to their studies, GIS are needed that properly take into account time as well as space. A GIS capable of dealing with temporal data is referred to as a temporal-GIS (TGIS), and commercial TGIS systems currently exist. However, these are locked into a model of modern clock time. Archaeological time does not sit well within that model, being altogether fuzzier and less precise. Nor are commercial TGIS able to address the questions that archaeologists ask of their spatio-temporal data. Thus, a TGIS is needed that deals with the types of time that we encounter as archaeologists, lest we end up shaping our data and questions to the inherent capabilities of non-archaeological TGIS. The creation of that new TGIS is the subject of this thesis: a fuzzy TGIS built specifically for the study of archaeological data that also takes into account recent developments in the theory of temporality within the discipline. The new TGIS needs to be flexible and powerful, yet to ensure that it is actually used it must remain within the software horizons of GIS-literate archaeologists. The new TGIS has been applied to two case studies, one in prehistoric Derbyshire and one in Roman Northamptonshire, producing informative and interesting new results. It is hoped that others will fruitfully use the TGIS and that, as a result, new forms of spatio-temporal analysis might come to be applied to archaeological studies.

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“…In addition, there are blind tests or intercomparisons between the laboratories which are a check for both reproducibility and systematic errors in the laboratory. 25 And finally, there is the possibility for multiple measurements. Duplicate or triplicate analysis for selected samples is a very good reproducibility test, yielding information on matters like inhomogenuity of the sample material, which are otherwise difficult to control.…”

Section: Other Remarksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radiocarbon Dating and the Dead Sea Scrolls: A Comment on "Redating"

Plicht¹

2007

Dead Sea Discov

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Precision and accuracy in applied 14C dating: some findings from the Fourth International Radiocarbon Inter-comparison

Cited by 8 publications

References 7 publications

Evidence of resilience to past climate change in Southwest Asia: Early farming communities and the 9.2 and 8.2 ka events

Evidence of resilience to past climate change in Southwest Asia: Early farming communities and the 9.2 and 8.2 ka events

Winding Dali’s Clock: The Construction of a Fuzzy Temporal-GIS for Archaeology

Radiocarbon Dating and the Dead Sea Scrolls: A Comment on "Redating"

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