scholarly journals 14C Dating of the Upper Paleolithic Site at Krems-Hundssteig in Lower Austria

Radiocarbon ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
E M Wild ◽  
C Neugebauer-Maresch ◽  
T Einwögerer ◽  
P Stadler ◽  
P Steier ◽  
...  

The open-air archaeological site at Krems-Hundssteig is a well-known Upper Paleolithic site located in Lower Austria. The site was discovered in the late 19th/early 20th centuries when a large number of archaeological remains were collected during the course of loess quarrying. Although no systematic excavation has ever been performed, Krems-Hundssteig has been described since its discovery as typical of the Aurignacian period in this region based on the numerous archaeological finds; accordingly, the culture has been named Kremsien by some authors. Surprisingly, the artifacts found in a recent excavation adjacent to this location showed solely Gravettian features, calling into question the original assignment to the Aurignacian. Although the earlier assignment was supported by a radiocarbon date of ∼35 kyr BP (Hahn 1977), new accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C dates proved that the recently excavated cultural layer originates from the Gravettian period. Older paleosols were also detected by sondage drillings at some depth below it.The new results indicate that a large Aurignacian level and a substantial complex of Gravettian layers are present in this area. Therefore, it must be assumed that more than 1 cultural level was affected and destroyed by the historic loess quarrying, and that the assemblage of Krems-Hundssteig artifacts, traditionally ascribed to the Aurignacian, might be interspersed with Gravettian pieces.

Radiocarbon ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 847-855 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Einwögerer ◽  
M Händel ◽  
C Neugebauer-Maresch ◽  
U Simon ◽  
P Steier ◽  
...  

In the course of new excavations at the Upper Paleolithic site at Krems-Wachtberg in the loess region near Krems, Lower Austria, a double burial of newborns was discovered in 2005. One year later, a single grave of an infant was excavated nearby. Both graves are associated with the well-preserved living floor of an Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherer camp with distinct archaeological features and a rich Gravettian find assemblage. Several charcoal samples from different stratigraphic positions were 14C dated with the accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) method at VERA. The 14C ages confirm the archaeological assessment of the site to the Gravettian time period. According to the uncalibrated 14C ages, the formation time of the living floor is ~27.0 14C kyr BP. 14C data of ~28.6 14C kyr BP determined for an archaeological horizon below the living floor indicate that the location may have been used earlier by people in the Middle Upper Paleolithic.


Radiocarbon ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 245-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khaled Al-Bashaireh

This article presents accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates of organic inclusions of cement materials from the House XVII-XVIII Complex located in the Umm el-Jimal archaeological site, east Jordan, aiming at refining the unclear chronology of the house. Fine straws and small fragments of charcoal uncovered from preserved architectural lime mortars and plasters were dated without carrying out extensive excavations. The results indicate that the house most probably was initially plastered or built during the middle of the Byzantine period. The results agree with the historical and archaeological data indicating that Umm el-Jimal flourished during this period; therefore, it is probable that the house was established during this time to meet the housing demand for the increased number of its population.


2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 20-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Suárez ◽  
Guaciara M. Santos

On this paper we show records of Pleistocene fauna from the archaeological site of PayPaso 1, located near of the Quarai River. On this site we recovered two extinct species, Equus sp. (ancient horse) e Glyptodon sp. (giant armadillo), direct associated with lithic artifacts. Our results indicate that these extinct mammals lived in the beginning of the Holocene (9,600 – 9,100 years 14C BP), based on nine 14C age results obtained by AMS (Accelerator Mass Spectrometry) measurements. In this work, these results are compared with others in South America. Human adaptation, lithic technology, Pleistocene fauna extinction and climate change at the transition between Pleistocene-Holocene are also discussed.


Radiocarbon ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 455-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
T H Donders ◽  
F Wagner ◽  
K van der Borg ◽  
A F M de Jong ◽  
H Visscher

Sub-fossil sections from a Florida wetland were accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dated and the sedimentological conditions were determined. 14C data were calibrated using a combined wiggle-match and 14C bomb-pulse approach. Repeatable results were obtained providing accurate peat chronologies for the last 130 calendar yr. Assessment of the different errors involved led to age models with 3–5 yr precision. This allows direct calibration of paleoenvironmental proxies with meteorological data. The time frame in which 14C dating is commonly applied can possibly be extended to include the 20th century.


Radiocarbon ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 331-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. L. Watchman ◽  
R. A. Lessard ◽  
A. J. T. Jull ◽  
L. J. Toolin ◽  
Weston Blake

We used a continuous krypton ion laser to rapidly oxidize milligram-sized fragments of coniferous driftwood of known ages, and dated the resulting carbon dioxide by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). AMS 14C ages of non-pretreated young wood from different parts of two logs were within 10% of the ages of conventionally determined alkaline insoluble fractions. The age of the oldest whole wood measured after laser oxidation was within the error ranges of conventional values.


Radiocarbon ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 473-479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiromasa Ozaki ◽  
Mineo Imamura ◽  
Hiroyuki Matsuzaki ◽  
Takumi Mitsutani

In order to investigate the regional atmospheric radiocarbon offset, accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C measurements were made on 5-yr increments of a Japanese wood sample dendrochronologically dated to 820–436 BC. The 14C data from the Japanese tree-ring samples were compared with the IntCal04 calibration curve (Reimer et al. 2004). In most parts, the differences between IntCal04 and 14C dates in the Japanese tree-ring samples were within experimental statistical errors. At around 680 BC, however, significant differences of up to 100 14C yr were observed. These differences may indicate either regional offsets in Japan or the short-term fluctuation of a subdecadal timescale in atmospheric 14C variations.


Radiocarbon ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 1689-1700 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Richardin ◽  
N Gandolfo ◽  
B Moignard ◽  
C Lavier ◽  
C Moreau ◽  
...  

The national project for the measurement of radiocarbon includes different scientific partners for the accelerator named ARTEMIS (French acronym for Accélérateur pour la Recherche en sciences de la Terre, Environnement, Muséologie Installé à Saclay), available to the scientific community since 2004 (Cottereau et al. 2007). The French Ministry of Culture uses this accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) facility at the request of archaeologists or curators of museums or of historical monuments. For the preparation of some samples, a laboratory has been installed at the Centre of Research and Restoration of the Museums of France, located in the Louvre Palace. In this report, the first data carried out on vegetal samples from museum objects or archaeological remains, dates are presented in terms of yr BP (before AD 1950).


Radiocarbon ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 1278-1285
Author(s):  
Vladimir A Levchenko ◽  
Flarit A Sungatov

A suite of accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates for the Ufa-II archaeological site in Bashkortostan, Russia, is obtained for the first time. Dating was done on charcoal samples from a sequence of cultural deposits collected during the 2011 digging season. An age-depth chronology is established using the Bayesian deposition General Outlier P_Sequence model. The oldest age for the site at the horizon immediately over the sterile ground was cal AD 137–237 (68% probability), corresponding to the beginning of site occupation. The youngest 14C date found was late 6th to early 7th century cal AD for the extensive planked boardwalks unearthed at the site. The 14C dates are in good agreement with archaeological determinations based on discovered artifacts.


Radiocarbon ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 591-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken Mueller ◽  
Paul Muzikar

When using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) for radiocarbon dating, it is important to correct for carbon contamination that is added to the sample and the standard during chemical processing. We derive an equation for making this correction that generalizes previous work in several ways. We treat the case in which contaminating carbon is added during both the combustion step and graphitization step. Taking this two-stage contamination process into account is particularly important when only a fraction of the CO2 produced in the combustion is graphitized. We also allow for the fact that the 13C fractions of the sample, the standard, and the contaminants may be different.


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