scholarly journals Dating the First Australians

Radiocarbon ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 455-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Gillespie
Keyword(s):  
Recent Work ◽  
Luminescence Dating ◽  
Australian Region ◽  
Dating Methods ◽  
Age Range

The dating of selected archaeological and megafaunal sites from the Australian region is reviewed, with emphasis on recent work at some of the oldest sites. Improved chemical procedures with decreased analytical background for 14C analysis, combined with new luminescence dating methods, has confirmed many of the results processed decades ago and significantly increased the maximum age for some others. The oldest occupation horizons in four different regions reliably dated by defendable multi-method results are in the range 42–48,000 calendar years ago, overlapping with the age range for similarly well-dated undisturbed sites containing the youngest extinct megafauna. There is less secure evidence suggesting some archaeology may be earlier and some megafauna may have survived later than this period.

Multi-proxy studies of the Late Glacial fluvio-aeolian succession in the type site Mierzyn, central Poland 

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moska Piotr ◽  
Sokołowski Robert ◽  
Jary Zdzisław ◽  
Zieliński Paweł ◽  
Raczyk Jerzy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Western Europe ◽  
Late Glacial ◽  
Luminescence Dating ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Central Poland ◽  
Depositional Processes ◽  
Dating Methods ◽  
Absolute Dating ◽  
Absolute Age ◽  
Pedogenic Processes

<p>Multi-proxy studies (including sedimentological, pedological, radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dating methods) were used to establish origin and chronology of depositional processes in the type section Mierzyn, central Poland. The investigated key site is located in the extraglacial zone of the Last Glaciation, ca. 130 km to the south from the Last Glacial Maximum in the Luciąża river valley area. In the studied profile (16 m thick) two lithofacial complexes were identified. The lower, fluvio-aeolian complex consists of silty-sandy sediments (1.6 m) deposited. The final phase of fluvio-aeolian deposition is expressed by initial pedogenic processes. Above is located aeolian complex (13 m of thickness). Three aeolian units are separated by two palaeosols.</p><p>To establish stratigraphic framework of depositional and pedogenic processes, four samples for radiocarbon dating from palaeosols and twelve samples for OSL dating from sandy units were collected. The obtained results reveal very good agreement of both absolute dating methods. It led to reconstruct chronology of main palaeoenvironmental changes. The fluvio-aeolian complex and the lowermost part of aeolian complex (below the lower palaeosol) were deposited in the Oldest Dryas in relatively cool and dry climate conditions. The amelioration of climate in the Bølling interstadial caused development of pedogenic processes expressed by 0.3 m thick palaeosol. Main part of aeolian complex (10 m of thickness) was deposited in the Older Dryas. The upper palaeosol developed in the Allerød interstadial as a result of the next amelioration of the climate. During the Younger Dryas was deposited the uppermost part of aeolian complex.</p><p>Classic development of fluvial to- aeolian succession in the Mierzyn site as well as detailed chronology based on two independent absolute age methods reveal that it can be treated as stratotype for the Late Glacial and correlated with other type sections in the Central and Western Europe.</p><p><strong>Ackowledgments</strong></p><p>Presented results were obtained with support of Polish National Science Centre, contract number 2018/30/E/ST10/00616.</p><p> </p>

scholarly journals The archaeomagnetic field recorded in ancient kiln walls in Si Satchanalai, Sukhothai

2021 ◽  
Vol 2145 (1) ◽  
pp. 012049
Author(s):  
R Supakulopas
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Confidence Limit ◽  
Field Model ◽  
Luminescence Dating ◽  
Human History ◽  
Earth’S Magnetic Field ◽  
Argon Dating ◽  
Dating Methods ◽  
Earth's Magnetic Field ◽  
The Mean

Abstract Archaeological dating is crucial in archaeology as it is a key to understand human history. However, traditional dating methods used by archaeologists such as potassium-argon dating and luminescence dating can provide ambiguous age results, e.g., argon loss during the dating returns young apparent ages. Therefore, I plan to establish an archaeomagnetic secular variation (ASV) curve to resolve this problem and use the ASV curve as an alternative tool to date archaeological artefacts. However, archaeomagnetic data in Thailand are absent from literature. Therefore, the ASV curve cannot be constructed from the archaeomagnetic data for this locality. To provide archaeomagnetic data to construct the ASV curve, the directions of the Earth’s magnetic field recorded in kiln walls from Ban Ko Noi (KN123, age 1,370 ± 100 A.D.), Si Satchanalai were measured. The mean declination and inclination of 49.6° and 32.6° with 95% confidence limit of 5.4° were determined from 10 samples from kiln KN123. Mean directions from this study were also compared with the directions of the Earth’s magnetic field in Thailand during 1,370 A.D. from the global archaeomagnetic field model ARCH3k.1. Declination and inclination from this study show significant departure from the field predicted by the ARCH3k.1 model.

RADIOCARBON VS. LUMINESCENCE DATING OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL CERAMICS IN THE SOUTHERN ANDES: A REVIEW OF PAIRED DATES, BAYESIAN MODELS, AND A PILOT STUDY

Radiocarbon ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-31
Author(s):  
Erik J Marsh ◽  
Antti Korpisaari ◽  
Sebastián Puerto Mundt ◽  
Alejandra Gasco ◽  
Víctor Durán
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Bayesian Models ◽  
Luminescence Dating ◽  
Northern Chile ◽  
Independent Data ◽  
Southern Andes ◽  
Clear Trend ◽  
Archaeological Ceramics ◽  
Dating Methods ◽  
Early Success

ABSTRACT Archaeologists have been using luminescence to date pottery in South America since the late 1970s, inspired by early success in northern Chile. However, luminescence dates have not been rigorously compared to independent dating methods, which this paper’s goal. First, we present a compilation of 94 paired 14C and luminescence dates from the southern Andes, which reveals discrepancies across a range of contexts and ages. Second, we compare two Bayesian models of sets of 14C and thermoluminescence (TL) dates from three ceramic styles in the Azapa Valley, Chile, and the Inca occupation of Mendoza, Argentina. We find that only the 14C models produce results that agree with expectations based on independent data. Third, we present results from a pilot study in Mendoza that dated 6 sherds with 3 luminescence methods each and closely associated 14C dates. The reasons for disagreement between methods remain unclear, but Andean sediments with low and unstable luminescence sensitivity seem to be an important factor. Even though some luminescence ages are accurate, the clear trend of inconsistent results leads us to recommend that archaeologists use 14C rather than luminescence dates to build cultural chronologies.

scholarly journals Testing feldspar luminescence dating of young archaeological heated materials using potshards from Pella (Tell Tabqat Fahl) in the Jordan valley

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sahar Al Khasawneh ◽  
Andrew S. Murray ◽  
Stephen Bourke ◽  
Dominik Bonatz
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Luminescence Dating ◽  
Jordan Valley ◽  
Luminescence Signal ◽  
Systematic Uncertainties ◽  
Infrared Stimulated Luminescence ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Multiple Samples ◽  
Osl Age

Abstract Recent developments in the use of more stable feldspar signals in the luminescence dating of sediments offer the possibility of obtaining accurate feldspar luminescence ages for ceramic artefacts; this is especially interesting in locations which do not provide suitable quartz extracts. Here we examine the application of the stable infrared stimulated luminescence signal measured at elevated temperature (in this case 290°C; pIRIR290) after stimulation at about room temperature to Levantine pottery samples. A total of 52 potsherds were collected from three superimposed iron-age units at Pella (Jordan); based on 14C dating, typology and seriation these units were deposited between 700 and 900 BCE. Sand-sized quartz extracts were unsuitable, and there was insufficient sand-sized feldspar, and so polymineral fine grains were chosen for dating. Various tests for reliability were undertaken (dose recovery, dependence of De on first stimulation temperature etc.). The pIRIR signals are weak, and 14 potsherds were rejected on this basis. Of the remainder, 3 were confidently identified as outliers. Based on those sherds for which IR signals were sufficiently intense, we use the ratio of the IR50 to pIRIR290 signals to argue that these outliers do not arise from incomplete resetting during manufacture. The ages from each layer are considerably over dispersed (typically by ∼25%) but average ages for each unit are consistent with each other and with the expected age range. The average OSL age for the site is 2840 ± 220 years (n = 35), with the overall uncertainty dominated by systematic uncertainties; this average is consistent with the range of 14C ages from 970–1270 BCE reported from across the destruction horizon. We conclude that the pIRIR290 signal is delivering accurate ages, but that the variability in age from shard to shard is much greater than would be expected from known sources of uncertainty. This demonstrates the need for site ages to be based on multiple samples; individual shard ages are unlikely to be sufficiently accurate.

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