The Neolithic and Mesolithic occupation of the cave of Cyclope, Youra, Alonnessos, Greece

1998 ◽  
Vol 93 ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adamantios Sampson
Keyword(s):  
Aegean Sea ◽  
Roman Period ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Systematic Research ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Late Neolithic ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Fish Bones

The cave of Cyclope is situated on the SW side of the island of Youra, 16 miles from Alonnessos. Systematic research in the cave lasted from 1992 to 1996. The upper layers, which date to the Roman period, contained mainly lamps. In the centre of the cave a Middle Neolithic stratum yielded a mass of pottery of exceptional red-on-white decoration. In cutting C, near the entrance, the upper layers belonged to Late Neolithic I (5th millennium BC) and were underlain by a thin Early and Middle Neolithic layer. Most of the deposits were Mesolithic. These layers consisted of faunal remains and thick-packed living floors in which there were ash hearths and scattered charcoal. Radiocarbon dates from these strata ranged from c. 6800 to 8500 BC. The quantity of fish bones and shells was immense in the Mesolithic levels, suggesting, in association with the variety of bone hooks, high dependance on sea resources. The presence of Mesolithic habitation on a small island in the northern Aegean demonstrates that the cave of Cyclope is the earliest site in the Aegean Sea.

scholarly journals The excavation of four caves in the Geodha Smoo near Durness, Sutherland

2005 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony Pollard ◽  
James Barrett ◽  
Catherine Smith ◽  
Effie Photos-Jones ◽  
D Aldritt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Convincing Evidence ◽  
Late Neolithic ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Fish Bones ◽  
Iron Slag ◽  
River Erosion ◽  
Western Wall ◽  
Eastern Wall ◽  
Neolithic Pottery

In response to the threat posed by marine and river erosion, a series of deeply stratified midden deposits was excavated in caves leading off a narrow, rock-cut inlet known as the Geodha Smoo, near Durness, Sutherland. These included the famous Smoo Cave (NGR: NC 4136 6714), at the southern end of the inlet; two smaller caves cut into the western wall of the inlet (Glassknapper's Cave and Antler Cave); and a fourth cave (Wetweather Cave) in the eastern wall. The majority of excavated deposits from these caves appear to relate to Viking/Norse or post-Norse activity, with fish bones, marine shells and mammal and bird bones representing the processing and consumption of marine and terrestrial foods. Possible evidence for metalsmithing in the form of iron slag and boat nails could suggest that boats were repaired in the sheltered inlet. Four radiocarbon dates from Smoo Cave and Glassknapper's Cave provide evidence for use of these sites between the eighth and 11th centuries AD. Convincing evidence for pre-Norse activity, although unsupported by radiocarbon dates, was recovered from Glassknapper's Cave in the form of probable Iron Age pottery, while late Neolithic pottery came from floor deposits in the Wetweather Cave.

scholarly journals Radiocarbon Chronology of Late Neolithic Settlements in the Tisza-Maros Region, Hungary

Radiocarbon ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 859-866 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ede Hertelendi ◽  
Ferenc Horváth
Keyword(s):  
Late Neolithic ◽  
Unique Type ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Radiocarbon Data ◽  
Stratigraphic Position ◽  
European Neolithic ◽  
Radiocarbon Chronology ◽  
Developmental Phases

We investigated chronological questions of five Late Neolithic settlements in the Hungarian Tisza-Maros region. Fifty new radiocarbon dates provide an internal chronology for the developmental phases of the tell settlements, and place them into the wider framework of the southeastern European Neolithic. An example is presented of how a unique type of stratigraphic excavation helps the interpretation of radiocarbon data, which are in contradiction with the stratigraphic position of the samples.

scholarly journals A Marine Reservoir Correction Database and On-Line Interface

Radiocarbon ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 43 (2A) ◽  
pp. 461-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
P J Reimer ◽  
R W Reimer
Keyword(s):  
Marine Environment ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Additional Consideration ◽  
Coastal Regions ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Fish Bones ◽  
Mapping Software ◽  
On Line ◽  
Reservoir Age ◽  
Global Mean

Calibration is essential for interpretation of radiocarbon dates, especially when the 14C dates are compared to historical or climatic records with a different chronological basis. 14C ages of samples from the marine environment, such as shells or fish bones, or samples with a marine component, such as human bone in coastal regions, require an additional consideration because of the reservoir age of the ocean. While the pre-industrial global mean reservoir correction, R(t), is about 400 years, local variations (ΔR) can be several hundred years or more. ΔR compilations on a global scale have been undertaken previously (Stuiver et al. 1986; Stuiver and Braziunas 1993), but have not been updated recently. Here we describe an on-line reservoir correction database accessed via mapping software. Rather than publishing a static ΔR compilation, new data will be incorporated when it becomes available. The on-line marine reservoir correction database can be accessed at the website http://www.calib.org/.

Relative and absolute dating of four late Neolithic enclosures: an exercise in the interpretation of radiocarbon determinations

1972 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 389-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Burleigh ◽  
I. H. Longworth ◽  
G. J. Wainwright
Keyword(s):  
Fine Structure ◽  
Half Life ◽  
General Trend ◽  
Detailed Structure ◽  
Late Neolithic ◽  
Archaeological Evidence ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Carbon 14 ◽  
Absolute Dating

SummaryIf the fine structure of the carbon-14 deviation curve published by Professor H. E. Suess (in Proceedings of the 12th Nobel Symposium, I. U. Olsson (ed.), 1970) is correct, then the period from c. 2200 bc to c. 1700 bc in radiocarbon years falls within one of the insensitive regions in which carbon-14 determinations could have a number of alternative chronological values and hence could not be used to order archaeological evidence. Without disputing the now well established general trend of radiocarbon variation, it is the purpose of this paper to suggest, from recurrent evidence drawn from four recently studied Late Neolithic enclosures, that the detailed structure of Suess' curve is not necessarily valid. Uncalibrated radiocarbon dates based on the conventional 5570 year half-life of carbon-14 are used throughout this paper.

scholarly journals Tempo of a Mega-henge: A New Chronology for Mount Pleasant, Dorchester, Dorset

2020 ◽  
Vol 86 ◽  
pp. 199-236
Author(s):  
Susan Greaney ◽  
Zoë Hazell ◽  
Alistair Barclay ◽  
Christopher Bronk Ramsey ◽  
Elaine Dunbar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Late Neolithic ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Stone Monument ◽  
Mount Pleasant

Radiocarbon dating and Bayesian chronological modelling have provided precise new dating for the henge monument of Mount Pleasant in Dorset, excavated in 1970–1. A total of 59 radiocarbon dates are now available for the site and modelling of these has provided a revised sequence for the henge enclosure and its various constituent parts: the timber palisaded enclosure, the Conquer Barrow, and the ditch surrounding Site IV, a concentric timber and stone monument. This suggests that the henge was probably built in the 26th century cal bc, shortly followed by the timber palisade and Site IV ditch. These major construction events took place in the late Neolithic over a relatively short timespan, probably lasting 35–125 years. The principal results are discussed for each element of the site, including comparison with similar monument types elsewhere in Britain and Ireland, and wider implications for late Neolithic connections and later activity at the site associated with Beaker pottery are explored.

Radiocarbon Dating the Iroquoian Occupation of Northern New York

2019 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. 748-761 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J. Abel ◽  
Jessica L. Vavrasek ◽  
John P. Hart
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Bayesian Analysis ◽  
High Precision ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates

The results of Bayesian analysis using 43 new high-precision AMS radiocarbon dates on maize, faunal remains, and ceramic residues from 18 precontact Iroquoian village sites in Northern New York are presented. Once thought to span AD 1350–1500, the period of occupation suggested by the modeling is approximately AD 1450–1510. This late placement now makes clear that Iroquoians arrived in the region approximately 100 years later than previously thought. This result halves the time in which population growth and significant changes in settlement occurred. The new chronology allows us to better match these events within a broader Northeast temporal framework.

The Folsom (Paleoindian) Type Site: Past Investigations, Current Studies

2002 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Meltzer ◽  
Lawrence C. Todd ◽  
Vance T. Holliday
Keyword(s):  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Projectile Points ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Lithic Assemblage ◽  
Wild Horse ◽  
Field Investigations ◽  
Type Site ◽  
High Utility ◽  
Cultural Origins

Research on the Folsom Paleoindian type site, involving renewed field investigations and an analysis of extant collections from the 1920s excavations, was undertaken between 1997 and 2000. The preliminary results of that research show that all excavations to date have been in the kill area, which took place in a small and relatively shallow tributary to the Pleistocene paleovalley of Wild Horse Arroyo as well as in the paleovalley itself. Preliminary butchering of ∼32 Bison antiquus took place near where the animals were dropped. The kill area is dominated by low-utility bone elements and broken projectile points; high-utility bones and tools for processing meat and hides are rare or absent, and either occur in another, as-yet undiscovered area of the site, or altogether off-site. Faunal remains are generally in excellent condition. Those in the tributary are mostly in primary context, and underwent rapid burial beneath fine-grained (dominantly aeolian) sediments, which in turn were subsequently armored by a shingle shale; those in the paleovalley experienced postdepositional transport and redeposition. The small lithic assemblage is dominated by projectile points and comprised of material mostly from two sources in the Texas panhandle, several hundred kilometers southeast of the site. It also includes stone obtained from sources at comparable distances north and northwest of the site. A series of radiocarbon ages is available for the stratigraphic units, nearly all from charcoal of non-cultural origins; radiocarbon dates on bison bone put the age of the kill at 10,500 B.P.

Fish Otoliths as Indicators of Seasonality in Prehistoric Shell Middens: the Evidence from Oronsay (Inner Hebrides)

1980 ◽  
Vol 46 ◽  
pp. 19-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. Mellars ◽  
M. R. Wilkinson ◽  
N. R. J. Fieller
Keyword(s):  
Single Species ◽  
Fish Bone ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Species Analysis ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Total Fish ◽  
Chief Interest

The samples to be discussed in this paper derive from a series of late Mesolithic shell-midden sites on the island of Oronsay in the Inner Hebrides. Despite the small size of the island (less than six square kilometres) at least six separate middens have now been identified on Oronsay, of which all except one are located along the south-east-facing coast of the island (fig. 1). Radiocarbon dates ranging from 3695 ± 80 to 3200 ± 380 bc have been obtained on samples of charcoal from the middens, and point to a considerable measure of chronological overlap in the occupation of the different sites (Mellars 1978).Archaeologically, the chief interest of these sites lies in the excellent conditions for the preservation of faunal remains, which provides a unique insight into the economic activities of coastal-living groups shortly before the appearance of formally ‘Neolithic’ communities in northern Britain. In addition to a wide range of molluscan, mammalian and bird remains, the sites have yielded exceptionally large numbers of fish bones. While the total range of fish exploited from the sites is impressive (comprising at least 12 species), analysis has shown that by far the major emphasis in the fishing activities was placed on the exploitation of a single species—the saithe or coalfish (Pollachius virens L.). In all the samples so far analysed this species accounts for at least 95 per cent of the total fish-bone material, and in many of the samples it is the only species represented.

Archaeology, genetics and a population bottleneck in prehistoric Finland

Antiquity ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 88 (342) ◽  
pp. 1132-1147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tarja Sundell ◽  
Juhana Kammonen ◽  
Petri Halinen ◽  
Petro Pesonen ◽  
Päivi Onkamo
Keyword(s):  
Population Bottleneck ◽  
Genetic Profile ◽  
Neolithic Period ◽  
Late Neolithic ◽  
Finnish Population ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Combined Use ◽  
History Of ◽  
Stone Artefact

The long-term history of prehistoric populations is a challenging but important subject that can now be addressed through combined use of archaeological and genetic evidence. In this study a multidisciplinary team uses these approaches to document the existence of a major population bottleneck in Finland during the Late Neolithic period, the effects of which are still detectable in the genetic profile of the Finnish population today. The postglacial recolonisation of Finland was tracked through space and time using radiocarbon dates and stone artefact distributions to provide a robust framework of evidence against which the genetic simulations could be compared.

scholarly journals Tell Sabi Abyad, Syria: Radiocarbon Chronology, Cultural Change, and the 8.2 ka Event

Radiocarbon ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
J van der Plicht ◽  
P M M G Akkermans ◽  
O Nieuwenhuyse ◽  
A Kaneda ◽  
A Russell
Keyword(s):  
Bayesian Statistics ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
Large Set ◽  
Late Neolithic ◽  
Cultural Changes ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Climate Event ◽  
Radiocarbon Chronology

At Tell Sabi Abyad, Syria, we obtained a robust chronology for the 7th to early 6th millennium BC, the Late Neolithic. The chronology was obtained using a large set of radiocarbon dates, analyzed by Bayesian statistics. Cultural changes observed at ~6200 BC are coeval with the 8.2 ka climate event. The inhabitation remained continuous.

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