Bomb Radiocarbon Dating of Animal Tissues and Hair

Initially, radiocarbon dating by bomb 14C was used to check vintages of wine and whisky and to estimate the turnover times of carbon in various biological tissues. However, this technique has never been widely used for routine dating, although it has a wide field of application in geriatric medicine and forensic investigations. Fifteen years' experience in this field has shown the potential and limits of this technique. Taking into account the decisive biological factors, such as growth and aging, a complicated picture is obtained. Recent human bones cannot be dated with a constant precision. Despite an incomplete understanding of the process of incorporation of 14C into human bones, the present dating technique is still more precise than most estimates by geriatric experts, for conventional 14C dating follows that 14C dates of bone collagen represent the years of the termination of puberty rather than those of death.Another application is the identification of furs of illegally hunted animals on the “Red List of threatened species” of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). For court cases, the year the animals were killed must be precisely determined. Due to the long and variable turnover time of more than one year of leather hair is the best dating material for animals.

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Aquatic Radiocarbon Reservoir Offsets in the Southeastern Baltic

Radiocarbon ◽

10.2458/azu_rc.57.18447 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 57 (4) ◽

pp. 539-556 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Gytis Piličiauskas ◽

Carl Heron

Keyword(s):

Stable Isotope ◽

Bronze Age ◽

Radiocarbon Dating ◽

Bone Collagen ◽

Curonian Lagoon ◽

Human Bones ◽

Ceramic Vessel ◽

Pike Perch ◽

Ceramic Vessels ◽

Ams Dates

The aim of this article is to discuss radiocarbon dating offsets due to freshwater and marine reservoir effects (FRE and MRE, respectively) in the southeastern Baltic. Thirty-six 14C dates from Lithuanian coastal and inland Subneolithic, Neolithic, and Bronze Age sites as well as two Mesolithic-Neolithic cemeteries are presented here. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dates, sometimes paired or tripled, have been obtained on samples of various origin, foodcrusts, or visible charred deposits adhering to the surfaces of ceramic vessel walls were also dated and investigated for stable isotope signals. The results argue for a significant freshwater component in the food processed in ceramic vessels during the Subneolithic and Neolithic. Paired dating of ungulate and human bones at the Spiginas and Donkalnis cemeteries (6300–1900 cal BC) does not suggest an FRE, although stable isotope data on human bone collagen strongly suggest a large input of freshwater food in the diet. An FRE in the order of 320–510 yr was estimated for the Šventoji paleolagoon around 3000 cal BC. At the same time, the FRE of the Curonian Lagoon could be larger as implied by large apparent 14C ages of modern pike-perch (981 ± 30 BP) and bream (738 ± 30 BP) bones as well as “foodcrust” offsets (650–530 yr) at Nida (3500–2500 cal BC). An MRE of 190 ± 43 yr was estimated for the southeastern coast of the Littorina Sea according to offsets between dates of seal bones and terrestrial samples at Nida and Šventoji. Any FRE at Lake Kretuonas remains uncertain due to the limited work to date.

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RADIOCARBON DATING OF A LATE ANTIQUE NECROPOLIS FROM FELANITX (MALLORCA, BALEARIC ISLANDS)

Radiocarbon ◽

10.1017/rdc.2020.122 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-13

Author(s):

C Mas Florit ◽

M Á Cau Ontiveros ◽

M Van Strydonck ◽

M Boudin ◽

F Cardona ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rural Area ◽

Radiocarbon Dating ◽

Balearic Islands ◽

Late Antique ◽

Human Bones ◽

The Village ◽

Grave Goods

ABSTRACT The excavation of a building in the village of Felanitx in the eastern part of the island of Mallorca (Balearic Islands) has revealed the existence of a small necropolis. The inhumations did not provide grave goods except for a bronze belt buckle for which the typological study suggests a Late Antique chronology. The stratigraphical sequence however seems to suggest a possible evolution of the space across time since some graves are cut by others. In order to obtain an absolute date for the necropolis and to verify if there are chronological differences between the graves, a total of 6 human bones samples have been 14C dated by AMS. The results of the radiocarbon dating confirm a Late Antique chronology (4th to 7th century AD) for the graves but do not suggest a chronological evolution. Despite the fact that the knowledge of the necropolis is still fragmentary, the results are extremely important because they provide an absolute date for a Late Antique necropolis in the Mallorcan rural area.

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Radiocarbon Dating and Dietary Stable Isotope Analysis of Kwaday Dän Ts'inchí

American Antiquity ◽

10.2307/25470442 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 72 (4) ◽

pp. 719-734 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Michael P. Richards ◽

Sheila Greer ◽

Lorna T. Corr ◽

Owen Beattie ◽

Alexander Mackie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Radiocarbon Dating ◽

Isotope Analysis ◽

Human Remains ◽

Isotopic Analysis ◽

High Elevation ◽

Bone Collagen ◽

Contact Period ◽

European Contact ◽

Ams Dating ◽

The Individual

We report here on the results of AMS dating and isotopic analysis of the frozen human remains named Kwaday Dän Ts'inchí and associated materials recovered from a glacier located in Northwest British Columbia, Canada in 1999. The isotopic analysis of bone collagen (bulk and single amino acids) from the individual indicates a strongly marine diet, which was unexpected given the location of this find, more than 100 km inland eroding out of a high elevation glacier; however, bulk hair and bone cholesterol isotopic values indicate a shift in diet to include more terrestrial foods in the year before death. The radiocarbon dating is not straightforward, as there are difficulties in determining the appropriate marine correction for the human remains, and the spread of dates on the associated artifacts clearly indicates that this was not a single use site. By combining the most recent date on a robe worn by Kwaday Dän Ts'inchi with direct bone collagen dates we conclude that the individual likely dates to between cal A.D. 1670 to 1850, which is in the pre-(or early) European contact period for this region.

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Isotopes, Plants, and Reservoir Effects: Case Study from the Caspian Steppe Bronze Age

Radiocarbon ◽

10.1017/s0033822200047408 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 54 (3-4) ◽

pp. 749-760 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

N Shishlina ◽

E Zazovskaya ◽

J van der Plicht ◽

V Sevastyanov

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Alternative Explanation ◽

Bone Collagen ◽

Human Diet ◽

Human Bones ◽

Animal Bone ◽

Different Types ◽

C And N ◽

East And West

Bronze Age human and animal bone collagen from several steppe Bronze Age cultures (i.e. Early Catacomb, East and West Manych Catacomb, and Lola cultures) shows large variations in δ13C and δ15N values. In general, we observed that the older the sample, the lower the δ13C and δ15N values. We hypothesize that more positive values of δ13C and δ15N are caused by change in diet and a more arid climate. For ancient sheep during drier periods of the Early Catacomb, East and West Manych Catacomb, and Lola cultures, we observed 2 groups with different C and N isotopic compositions, reflecting consumption of different types of fodder. During periods of aridization, C4 and C3 plants with high δ15N values appeared in the vegetation, also influencing bone collagen values. Human bones show reservoir effects, caused by aquatic diet components. These effects can be quantified by paired dating of human bone and associated terrestrial samples. Reservoir corrections have revised chronologies for the region. Some paired dates do not reveal reservoir effects. This can be explained in 2 alternative ways. One is that the human diet did not include aquatic components; rather, the diet was based on C3 vegetation with high δ15N values (13–15‰), and flesh/milk of domesticated animals. An alternative explanation is that humans consumed food from freshwater resources without reservoir effects.

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Crevice Interments Deconstructed

Index of Texas Archaeology Open Access Grey Literature from the Lone Star State ◽

10.21112/ita.2015.1.71 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Stephen Black ◽

Katherine Spradley ◽

Michelle Hamilton

Keyword(s):

Native American ◽

Radiocarbon Dating ◽

Eighth Century ◽

Bone Collagen ◽

Private Collection ◽

Stable Isotopic ◽

Skeletal Analysis ◽

Biological Affinity ◽

Central Texas ◽

Lines Of Evidence

The discovery of two well preserved human crania in a crevice overlooking a spring fed creek near Austin, Texas, led to medico legal, archeological, and bioanthropological investigations aimed at understanding the context and biological affinity of the crania. Archeological excavations uncovered no evidence that the crania were interred in the crevice during prehistoric times. Skeletal analysis showed they were of Native American ancestry. Radiocarbon dating indicated they are contemporary to one another and probably date to the seventh or eighth century A.D. Measured stable isotopic rations of carbon ( 13 C/ 12 C) and nitrogen ( 15 N/ 14 N) derived from human bone collagen samples from the crania are not consistent with other burial populations from the region, having higher nitrogen values than all other comparative samples. The crania also showed polish from repeated handling and several of the molars in one cranium had been glued in place. Taken together, these lines of evidence suggest the crania were removed from an unknown locality outside the Central Texas region, kept in a private collection, and placed in the crevice recently.

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Freshwater reservoir offsets on radiocarbon-dated dog bone from the headwaters of the St. Lawrence River, USA

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.7174 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. e7174

Author(s):

John P. Hart ◽

Robert S. Feranec ◽

Timothy J. Abel ◽

Jessica L. Vavrasek

Keyword(s):

Native Americans ◽

Radiocarbon Dating ◽

Aquatic Organisms ◽

Human Bone ◽

Bone Collagen ◽

Canis Lupus Familiaris ◽

Radiocarbon Dates ◽

Dog Bone ◽

Freshwater Reservoir ◽

St Lawrence River

Isotopic analysis of dog (Canis lupus familiaris) bone recovered from archaeological sites as proxies for human bone is becoming common in North America. Chronological placement of the dogs is often determined through radiocarbon dating of dog bone. The Great Lakes, their tributaries, and nearby lakes and streams were important fisheries for Native Americans prior to and after sustained European presence in the region. Carbon entering the food web in freshwater systems is often not in full isotopic equilibrium with the atmosphere, giving rise to spuriously old radiocarbon ages in fish, other aquatic organisms, and their consumers. These freshwater reservoir offsets (FROs) have been noted on human and dog bone in several areas of the world. Here we report the results of multi-tracer Bayesian dietary modeling using δ15N and δ13C values on dog bone collagen from mid-fifteenth to mid-sixteenth-century Iroquoian village sites at the headwaters of the St. Lawrence River, New York, USA. Results indicate that fish was an important component of dog diets. A comparison of radiocarbon dates on dog bone with dates on deer bone or maize from the same sites indicate FROs ranging from 97 ± 24 to 220 ± 39 14Cyr with a weighted mean of 132 ± 8 14Cyr. These results suggest that dog bone should not be used for radiocarbon dating in the absence of modeling to determine fish consumption and that previously reported radiocarbon dates on human bone from the larger region are likely to have FROs given the known importance of fish in regional human diets.

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Freshwater Reservoir Effect Variability in Northern Germany

Radiocarbon ◽

10.1017/s0033822200048001 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 55 (3) ◽

pp. 1085-1101 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Bente Philippsen ◽

Jan Heinemeier

Keyword(s):

Radiocarbon Dating ◽

Potential Problem ◽

Northern Germany ◽

Reservoir Effect ◽

The Past ◽

Human Bones ◽

Age Correction ◽

Order Of Magnitude ◽

Freshwater Reservoir ◽

Reservoir Age

The freshwater reservoir effect is a potential problem when radiocarbon dating fish bones, shells, human bones, or food crusts on pottery from sites near rivers or lakes. The reservoir age in hardwater rivers can be up to several thousand years and may be highly variable. Accurate 14C dating of freshwater-based samples requires knowing the order of magnitude of the reservoir effect and its degree of variability. Measurements on modern riverine materials may not give a single reservoir age correction that can be applied to archaeological samples, but they show the order of magnitude and variability that can also be expected for the past. This knowledge will be applied to the dating of food crusts on pottery from the Mesolithic sites Kayhude at the Alster River and Schlamersdorf at the Trave River, both in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany.

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Operation of photon diagnostic imagers for beam commissioning at the European XFEL

Journal of Synchrotron Radiation ◽

10.1107/s1600577519008737 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 (5) ◽

pp. 1489-1495

Author(s):

Andreas Koch ◽

Johannes Risch ◽

Wolfgang Freund ◽

Theophilos Maltezopoulos ◽

Marc Planas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Single Pulse ◽

Spot Size ◽

Wide Field ◽

Spontaneous Radiation ◽

Radiation Mode ◽

Beam Position ◽

X Ray ◽

Channel Plate ◽

Line Beam ◽

One Year

X-ray photon beam diagnostic imagers are located at 24 positions in the European XFEL beam transport system to characterize the X-ray beam properties, and to give feedback for tuning and optimization of the electron acceleration and orbit, the undulators, and the X-ray optics. One year of commissioning allowed experience to be gained with these imagers, which will be reported here. The sensitive Spontaneous Radiation imager is useful for various investigations in spontaneous radiation mode: for undulator adjustments and for low-signal imaging applications. The high-resolution Free-Electron Laser imager, 10 µm spatial resolution, is extensively used for the monitoring of beam position, spot size and shape, gain curve measurements, and also for beam-intensity monitoring. The wide field-of-view pop-in monitors (up to 200 mm) are regularly used for alignment and tuning of the various X-ray optical components like mirrors, slits and monochromators, and also for on-line beam control of a stable beam position at the instruments. The Exit Slit imager after the soft X-ray monochromator provides spectral information of the beam together with multi-channel plate based single-pulse gating. For particular use cases, these special features of the imagers are described. Some radiation-induced degradation of scintillators took place in this initial commissioning phase, providing useful information for better understanding of damage thresholds. Visible-light radiation in the beam pipe generated by upstream bending magnets caused spurious reflections in the optical system of some of the imagers which can be suppressed by aluminium-coated scintillating screens.

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CALCINED BONE AS A RELIABLE MEDIUM FOR RADIOCARBON DATING: A TEST USING PAIRED NORTH AMERICAN SAMPLES

American Antiquity ◽

10.1017/aaq.2017.27 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 82 (3) ◽

pp. 593-608 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

James C. Chatters ◽

James W. Brown ◽

Steven Hackenberger ◽

Patrick McCutcheon ◽

Jonathan Adler

Keyword(s):

British Columbia ◽

Pacific Northwest ◽

Radiocarbon Dating ◽

Bone Collagen ◽

Organic Media ◽

Radiocarbon Age ◽

Cross Dating ◽

Chronometric Analysis ◽

Calcined Bone ◽

Age Estimates

Radiocarbon dating using charcoal and bone collagen, two standards of archaeological chronology, can be difficult to impossible in environments where natural burning is common and bone does not preserve well. In such settings, charcoal ages cannot always be trusted and collagen is unavailable. Calcined bone can be a viable alternative medium in these situations but it has rarely been exploited in the Americas. One area that could benefit from its use is the forested Pacific Northwest. We compare calcined bone ages with charcoal and/or collagen dates from individual features or discrete cultural strata in 10 Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia sites dating between 9000 and 100 B.P. Resulting radiocarbon age estimates based on calcined bone closely match those based on charcoal and/or collagen in nearly all cases. We obtained calcined bone dates from three additional Holocene-aged sites that had not previously produced accurate results, obtaining findings consistent with estimates based on cross dating. Preserving well where all other organic media of cultural origin are lost or unreliable, calcined bone holds promise for dating sites in conifer forests and other acidic soil settings, and can allow researchers to refine archaeological sequences that have long defied accurate chronometric analysis.

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