Calibration Technique for 14C Data Clusters: Fitting Relative Chronologies onto Absolute Time Scales

Application of radiocarbon dating to a short chronology is often limited by the wide probability ranges of calibrated dates. These wide ranges are caused by multiple intersections of the 14C age with the tree-ring curve. For a single unrelated 14C date, each intersection presents a probable solution. When several dates on different events are available, identification of the most probable solution for each event is possible if one can obtain some information on the relation between these events. We present here a method for such identifications.To demonstrate the method, we selected a series of 14C dates from mortuary monuments of the Egyptian Old Kingdom. Corrected 14C dates from seven monuments were used. Calibration of these dates produced three absolute ages with single intersections and four ages with 3–5 intersections. These data are compared to a historical chronology, which places the dated events at a younger age. If each intersection is chosen as a potential anchor point of the “correct” chronology, 17 solutions must be tested for the best fit against the historical chronology. The latter is based on the length of the reign of each pharaoh during the studied time span. The spreadsheet has the function of determining the probability of fit for each of the solutions. In a second step the 17 probability values and their offset between the historical and the 14C chronology are graphically analyzed to find the most probable offset. This offset is then applied as a correction to the estimated chronology to obtain an absolute time scale for the dated events.

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Radiocarbon Dating of Calcareous Tufa: How Reliable Data can we Expect?

Radiocarbon ◽

10.1017/s0033822200010249 ◽

1980 ◽

Vol 22 (3) ◽

pp. 858-862 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Dušan Srdoč ◽

Bogomil Obelic ◽

Nada Horvatinčic ◽

Adela Sliepčevic

Keyword(s):

Carbon Isotopes ◽

Vertical Profile ◽

National Park ◽

Radiocarbon Dating ◽

Reliable Data ◽

Time Span ◽

Ambient Conditions ◽

Calcareous Tufa ◽

Detailed Picture

Systematic dating of tufa samples has been undertaken to establish a chronology of tufa deposits in Plitvice National Park, Yugoslavia. We conclude that tufa samples give reproducible data within the time span of ≈ 40,000 years up to recent. The 14C/12C ratio of carbon in the ambient biosphere and hydrosphere gives a detailed picture of the distribution of carbon isotopes in the investigated system. Despite the susceptibility of calcareous material to ambient conditions in the hydrosphere, the original 14C composition of tufa has not been substantially changed. A vertical profile which was cut in tufa during pathway construction showed that the tufa isochrones run vertically in the investigated area. The vertical isochrones and the 14C gradient were horizontal due to tufa build-up in Plitvice National Park which occurs on vertical escarpments that have been flooded. The relatively uniform radiocarbon content of most tufa deposits indicates redistribution of radiocarbon during the formation period. While detailed stratigraphy is often obscured, a general chronology of tufa deposits in the investigated area has been established.

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Comment on Quimby's “Cultural and Natural Areas before Kroeber”

American Antiquity ◽

10.2307/277073 ◽

1955 ◽

Vol 20 (4Part1) ◽

pp. 377-378

Author(s):

Homer Aschmann

Keyword(s):

Physical Environment ◽

Radiocarbon Dating ◽

New World ◽

Time Span ◽

Archaeological Record ◽

American Antiquity ◽

World Archaeological ◽

Short Time Span ◽

Established Fact ◽

Short Time

One is forced to admire Quimby's enterprise (1954, American Antiquity, Vol. 19, No. 4, pp. 317-31) in attempting not only a characterization but a mapping of the paleogeography of North America at 7 stages between 8500 B.C. and 500 B.C. Among other things it shows a healthful awareness that the physical environment cannot be considered a constant even in the relatively short time span generally accepted for the New World archaeological record. Fruitful investigations can be pursued through coordinating the geological, climatological, paleoecological, and archaeological evidence over extensive regions, and this tentative essay may provide a needed impetus.On the other hand, certain of the hypotheses presented in this paper seem to me to demand immediate examination before they become established dogma to burden subsequent investigations. I shall not question the eclectic use of 2 main chronological frameworks, those provided by Antevs and by radiocarbon dating, though the former, at least, is hardly established fact (Burma 1950).

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Radiocarbon Dating of Barrows of the Pazyryk, Karakoba, and Bystrianka Cultures from the Manzherok Region, Russia

Radiocarbon ◽

10.1017/rdc.2017.41 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 59 (5) ◽

pp. 1263-1274 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Andriey P Borodovskiy ◽

Marek Krąpiec ◽

Łukasz Oleszczak

Keyword(s):

Radiocarbon Dating ◽

Time Span ◽

Cultural Traditions ◽

The North ◽

Pazyryk Culture ◽

Long Time ◽

Scythian Period

AbstractThis paper presents radiocarbon (14C) dating of Scythian period sites discovered in Northern Altai, Russia, in the 1990s, including large, unlooted barrow cemeteries in the Manzherok region. The results indicate that barrows attributed to the Karakoba culture may represent a long time span from the beginning of the 9th century BC until the beginning of 1st century BC, while those linked with the North Pazyryk culture generally keep within the Scythian period: from the beginning of the 5th century BC to the late 1st century AD. 14C analysis has confirmed the viability of traditional archaeological dating and the contemporaneity of barrows belonging to various cultural traditions (North Pazyryk, Karakoba), and also allowed correlating the horizons of burials to the seismic phenomena observed at the site.

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Multimodale graphische Kommunikation im pharaonischen Ägypten: Entwurf einer Analysemethode

Lingua Aegyptia - Journal of Egyptian Language Studies ◽

10.37011/lingaeg.28.03 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 28 ◽

pp. 81-116

Author(s):

Silvia Kutscher

Keyword(s):

Theoretical Background ◽

Ancient Egypt ◽

Second Step ◽

Old Kingdom ◽

Research Areas ◽

Graphic Communication ◽

Semiotic Approach ◽

The Will ◽

New Perspective ◽

Interdisciplinary Dialog

“Multimodal graphic communication in Ancient Egypt: A method for analysis”: This article presents a method to analyse Hieroglyphic-Egyptian artefacts based on the semiotic approach of multimodality. In a first step, the theoretical background of multimodality research is given and its methodological application to Hieroglyphic-Egyptian text-image-compositions is discussed. In a second step, the method is illustrated analysing a relief from an Old Kingdom mastaba in Giza – the will of Wep-em-nefert (G8882). In a third step, some graphic techniques for information structuring are compared to similar techniques that can be found in Franco-Belgian comics. In indenting semiotic methods of multimodality research with Egyptology, this article presents a new perspective for the investigation of Hieroglyphic-Egyptian artefacts, which opens new grounds for both research areas and for interdisciplinary dialog.

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Automatic Health Assessment of Smart Home Residents via Unsupervised Learning from Ambient Sensor Data: An Observational Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.8493 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Thuong Nguyen ◽

Qing Zhang ◽

Duc Le ◽

Mohan Karunanithi

Keyword(s):

Observational Study ◽

Smart Home ◽

Health Assessment ◽

Ground Truth ◽

Sensor Data ◽

Second Step ◽

Daily Routine ◽

Health Score ◽

Health Events ◽

Data Clusters

BACKGROUND Existing approaches to health assessment for smart home residents mostly rely on the activities recognized by supervised learning methods, which require well-annotated sensor data. Obtaining such labeled data is not a feasible task, especially for senior adults. OBJECTIVE Developing an unsupervised learning method to health assessment for smart home residents without the need of labeled data. METHODS Ambient sensors are deployed in participants’ home to collect activity data. Home resident’s health is assessed via a two-step approach. In the first step, the clusters of sensor data are discovered using K-means or Gaussian Mixture Models (GMM). In the second step, the time spent on each data cluster is used to compute a health score that represents the physical health of the resident. As we could not obtain ground-truth labels, we conduct this project as an observational study. RESULTS We test the first step of our approach (sensor data clustering) on the Aruba dataset, which was acquired from a testbed occupied by a senior resident for more than a year. In this step, GMM achieves its best performance of 0.75 (𝐹1_score) and 0.79 (Rand_index) and outperforms K-means. Qualitative results obtained on our smart home dataset also demonstrate the correlation between the discovered sensor data clusters with resident’s daily routine. The health score derived in the second step of our approach is highly associated with the health events happened to one of our participants. CONCLUSIONS The experimental results demonstrate that the sensor data clusters discovered by standard clustering methods are highly correlated with the ground-truth activities or daily routine. Between the two tested methods, GMM outperforms K-means in all metrics. The health score derived by our two-step unsupervised approach is highly related to the health events happened to the resident. CLINICALTRIAL The CSIRO Health and Medical Research Human Research Ethics Committee (#12/17).

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Strategy of valid <sup>14</sup>C dates choice in syngenetic permafrost

The Cryosphere Discussions ◽

10.5194/tcd-8-5589-2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 8 (6) ◽

pp. 5589-5621 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Y. K. Vasil'chuk ◽

A. C. Vasil'chuk

Keyword(s):

Cross Sections ◽

Organic Material ◽

Radiocarbon Dating ◽

Organic Materials ◽

Present Position ◽

Radiocarbon Dates ◽

Lena River ◽

Younger Age ◽

Selection For ◽

Kolyma River

Abstract. The main problem of radiocarbon dating within permafrost is the uncertain reliability of the 14C dates. Syngenetic sediments contain allochthonous organic deposit that originated at a distance from its present position. Due to the very good preservation of organic materials in permafrost conditions and numerous re-burials of the fossils from ancient deposits into younger ones the dates could be both younger and older than the true age of dated material. The strategy for the most authentic radiocarbon date selection for dating of syncryogenic sediments is considered taking into account the fluvial origin of the syngenetic sediments. The re-deposition of organic material is discussed in terms of cyclic syncryogenic sedimentation and also the possible re-deposition of organic material in subaerial-subaqueous conditions. The advantages and the complications of dating organic micro-inclusions from ice wedges by the accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) method are discussed applying to true age of dated material search. Radiocarbon dates of different organic materials from the same samples are compared. The younger age of the yedoma from cross-sections of Duvanny Yar in Kolyma River and Mamontova Khayata in the mouth of Lena River is substantiated due to the principle of the choice of the youngest 14C date from the set.

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Wooden Well at the First Farmers’ Settlement Area in Uničov, Czech Republic

Památky archeologické ◽

10.35686/pa2020.2 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 61-111 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ivana Vostrovská ◽

Jan Petřík ◽

Libor Petr ◽

Petr Kočár ◽

Romana Kočárová ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Czech Republic ◽

Central Europe ◽

Radiocarbon Dating ◽

Time Span ◽

Neolithic Period ◽

Early Neolithic ◽

Subsistence Strategy ◽

Open Canopy ◽

Surrounding Landscape ◽

Shed Light

Some of the most extraordinary finds from the Early Neolithic period are wooden wells. These constructions permit unusual insights into Neolithic settlements, their subsistence and environment, as well as into the surrounding landscape. A recent excavation of a Neo lithic settlement at Uničov in central Moravia, Czech Republic, yielded the discovery of a wooden well with a sediment infill from the beginning of the Neolithic period and allowed to study an array of topics by a multi-proxy approach using a set of complementary methods. Our study of the wooden lining demonstrates the carpeting skills of the first farmers, required also for building so-called ‘longhouses’. By comparing dendrochronological and radiocarbon dating, we estimated the time span of the well’s existence. The construction was used repeatedly over a longer time and was finally filled in intentionally. Studies of the well’s infill shed light on its usage and decline, providing a great proxy for the study of living dynamics and handling of waste in a Neolithic village. The environmental record extracted from botanical residues indicates that the immediate surroundings of the settlement were covered by an open-canopy woodland with a dominance of oak and hazel, and a large proportion of open habitats, whereas the surrounding landscape was not noticeably affected by humans. Key Words: Wooden well, past environment, subsistence strategy, Linearbandkeramik, Uničov, eastern Central Europe

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A New Astronomically Based Chronological Model for the Egyptian Old Kingdom

Journal of Egyptian History ◽

10.1163/18741665-12340035 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 69-108 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Rita Gautschy ◽

Michael E. Habicht ◽

Francesco M. Galassi ◽

Daniela Rutica ◽

Frank J. Rühli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Radiocarbon Dating ◽

Ancient Egypt ◽

Old Kingdom ◽

Astronomical Data ◽

Ancient Egyptian

Abstract A recently discovered inscription on an ancient Egyptian ointment jar mentions the heliacal rising of Sirius. In the time of the early Pharaohs, this specific astronomical event marked the beginning of the Egyptian New Year and originally the annual return of the Nile flood, making it of great ritual importance. Since the Egyptian civil calendar of 365 days permanently shifted one day in four years in comparison to the stars due to the lack of intercalation, the connection of a date from the Egyptian civil calendar with the heliacal rising of Sothis is vitally important for the reconstruction of chronology. The new Sothis date from the Old Kingdom (3rd–6th Dynasties) in combination with other astronomical data and radiocarbon dating re-calibrates the chronology of ancient Egypt and consequently the dating of the Pyramids. A chronological model for Dynasties 3 to 6 constructed on the basis of calculated astronomical data and contemporaneously documented year dates of Pharaohs is presented.

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Radiocarbon Dating of Ostrich Eggshells

Radiocarbon ◽

10.1017/s0033822200012674 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 31 (03) ◽

pp. 1030-1034 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Jürgen C Freundlich ◽

Rudolph Kuper ◽

Peter Breunig ◽

Hans-Georg Bertram

Keyword(s):

Organic Material ◽

Radiocarbon Dating ◽

Isotope Fractionation ◽

Comparative Test ◽

Time Span ◽

Wood Charcoal ◽

Desert Environment ◽

Surface Sites ◽

Shell Beads

Unlike wood charcoal, as found admixed to other cultural remains, ostrich eggshells can be of more direct significance in 14C dating, especially if they were processed to form, eg, eggshell beads. Normally the time span between laying the egg and working the shell beads is short enough to be negligible for 14C dating purposes. Another advantage of eggshell dating is that the carbonate of the shell seems to keep exceptionally well over the millennia, whereas, especially in surface sites in a desert environment, organic material such as wood, charcoal or bone protein tends to decompose. With few comparative test samples, we thought ostrich egg samples would yield 14C dates somewhat too young. The deviation is, however, balanced by performing 13C analyses and a correction for isotope fractionation of ca 350yr.

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National age and coresidence patterns shape COVID-19 vulnerability

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.2008764117 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 117 (28) ◽

pp. 16118-16120 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Albert Esteve ◽

Iñaki Permanyer ◽

Diederik Boertien ◽

James W. Vaupel

Keyword(s):

Census Data ◽

Age Groups ◽

The Elderly ◽

Second Step ◽

Elderly Persons ◽

Household Transmission ◽

Private Households ◽

Younger Age ◽

Intergenerational Coresidence ◽

Southern European Countries

Based on harmonized census data from 81 countries, we estimate how age and coresidence patterns shape the vulnerability of countries’ populations to outbreaks of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We estimate variation in deaths arising due to a simulated random infection of 10% of the population living in private households and subsequent within-household transmission of the virus. The age structures of European and North American countries increase their vulnerability to COVID-related deaths in general. The coresidence patterns of elderly persons in Africa and parts of Asia increase these countries’ vulnerability to deaths induced by within-household transmission of COVID-19. Southern European countries, which have aged populations and relatively high levels of intergenerational coresidence, are, all else equal, the most vulnerable to outbreaks of COVID-19. In a second step, we estimate to what extent avoiding primary infections for specific age groups would prevent subsequent deaths due to within-household transmission of the virus. Preventing primary infections among the elderly is the most effective in countries with small households and little intergenerational coresidence, such as France, whereas confining younger age groups can have a greater impact in countries with large and intergenerational households, such as Bangladesh.

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