scholarly journals Central European Early Bronze Age chronology revisited: A Bayesian examination of large-scale radiocarbon dating

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0243719
Author(s):  
Mirco Brunner ◽  
Jonas von Felten ◽  
Martin Hinz ◽  
Albert Hafner
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Temporal Dimension ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Southern Germany ◽  
Central European ◽  
Burial Rites

In archaeological research, changes in material culture and the evolution of styles are taken as major indicators for socio-cultural transformation. They form the basis for typo-chronological classification and the establishment of phases and periods. Central European Bronze Age material culture from burials reveals changes during the Bronze Age and represents a perfect case study for analyzing phenomena of cultural change and the adoption of innovation in the societies of prehistoric Europe. Our study focuses on the large-scale change in material culture which took place in the second millennium BC and the emergence at the same period of new burial rites: the shift from inhumation burials in flat graves to complex mounds and simple cremation burials. Paul Reinecke was the first to divide the European Bronze Age (EBA) into two phases, Bz A1 and A2. The shift from the first to the second phase has so far been ascribed to technical advances. Our study adopted an innovative approach to quantifying this phenomenon. Through regressive reciprocal averaging and Bayesian analysis of radiocarbon-dated grave contexts located in Switzerland and southern Germany, we modelled chronological changes in the material culture and changes in burial rites in these regions in a probabilistic way. We used kernel density models to summarize radiocarbon dates, with the aim of visualizing cultural changes in the third and second millennium BC. In 2015, Stockhammer et al. cast doubt on the chronological sequence of the Reinecke phases of the EBA on the basis of newly collected radiocarbon dates from southern Germany. Our intervention is a direct response to the results of that study. We fully agree with Stockhammer’s et al. dating of the start of EBA, but propose a markedly different dating of the EBA/MBA transition. Our modelling of radiocarbon data demonstrates a statistically significant typological sequence of phases Bz A1, Bz A2 and Bz B and disproves their postulated chronological overlap. The linking of the archaeological relative-chronological system with absolute dates is of major importance to understanding the temporal dimension of the EBA phases.

scholarly journals The Petrovka Bronze Age Sites: Issues in Taxonomy and Chronology

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Krause ◽  
A. V. Epimakhov ◽  
E. V. Kupriyanova ◽  
I. K. Novikov ◽  
E. Stolarczyk
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Short Interval ◽  
Southern Urals ◽  
Time Range ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Dynamic Scenario ◽  
High Degree

This article introduces a series of AMS radiocarbon dates for the Bronze Age Petrovka cemeteries in the Trans-Urals. The results of the AMS14C-dating of animal and human bones indicate a very high degree of concordance in the 19th and 18th centuries cal BC time range. The previously obtained AMS datings clearly fi t into the same chronological interval. Specifi cally, 17 of 36 analyses of the Petrovka series yielded very similar results. In other cases, where dating was based on wood and charcoal, the results are highly inconsistent, even within the same burial. Before the verifi cation of these results, the short interval based on AMS dates should be preferred. Its comparison with intervals for other cultures of the Trans-Urals demonstrates marked similarity: in fact, complete coincidence of some of them. At the same time, stratigraphic and typological evidence suggests that the Sintashta, Petrovka, and Alakul traditions are stages of a sequence. Additional arguments are features of continuity in the material culture and the practice of using the burial mounds of a previous culture for new graves, without destroying the older ones. In our view, the only explanation is provided by a dynamic scenario of cultural change spanning two centuries, from the migration of the Sintashta people to Southern Urals until the formation of the Alakul culture. The resolution of the radiocarbon method does not suffi ce to detect such rapid changes. If this explanation is correct, the Petrovka sites should be considered an early stage of the Alakul culture, rather than a separate culture.

Cultural change and population dynamics during the Bronze Age: Integrating archaeological and palaeoenvironmental evidence for Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany

The Holocene ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (10) ◽  
pp. 1607-1621 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jutta Kneisel ◽  
Walter Dörfler ◽  
Stefan Dreibrodt ◽  
Stefanie Schaefer-Di Maida ◽  
Ingo Feeser
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Material Culture ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Quantitative Information ◽  
Northern Germany ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Boom And Bust ◽  
The Bronze Age

In archaeology, change in material culture is viewed as indicating social or cultural transformation and is the basis of our typo-chronological classification of phases and periods. The material culture from northern Germany reveals both quantitative and qualitative changes during the Bronze Age. At the same time, there is also evidence for ‘boom and bust’ cycles in population density/size, as indicated by changing human impact on the environment in several Bronze Age palaeoenvironmental records. These demographic fluctuations may relate to the observed changes in social phenomena in aspects of ideology, technology, food production and habitation. For example, innovations in food production, such as the adoption of new crops and agricultural techniques, could have led to population growth. While usually viewed by archaeologists as a ‘negative’ development, population stress or collapse may have favoured the emergence of new cultural phenomena. In order to test the cause-and-effect relationship between population dynamics and sociocultural change, we synthesise the archaeological evidence – qualitative and quantitative information from settlements, deposition finds (hoards), burials, material culture and architectural remains – for the Bronze Age in northern Germany, mainly Schleswig-Holstein, and compare it with the boom and bust pattern seen in the palaeoenvironmental record. The synchronicity of changes at ca. 1500 BC and ca. 1100 BC reflects the relationship between phases of major sociocultural transformation in the archaeological datasets and booms and busts in the palaeoenvironmental record of the region seen as a proxies for palaeo-demography. This sets the stage for a better understanding of the transformation of practices and relationships in the Bronze Age communities of the region.

scholarly journals Radiocarbon Dated Trends and Central Mediterranean Prehistory

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eóin W. Parkinson ◽  
T. Rowan McLaughlin ◽  
Carmen Esposito ◽  
Simon Stoddart ◽  
Caroline Malone
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Anthropogenic Activity ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Archaeological Record ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates

AbstractThis paper reviews the evidence for long term trends in anthropogenic activity and population dynamics across the Holocene in the central Mediterranean and the chronology of cultural events. The evidence for this has been constituted in a database of 4608 radiocarbon dates (of which 4515 were retained for analysis following initial screening) from 1195 archaeological sites in southern France, Italy and Malta, spanning the Mesolithic to Early Iron Age periods, c. 8000 to 500 BC. We provide an overview of the settlement record for central Mediterranean prehistory and add to this an assessment of the available archaeological radiocarbon evidence in order to review the traditional narratives on the prehistory of the region. This new chronology has enabled us to identify the most significant points in time where activity levels, population dynamics and cultural change have together caused strong temporal patterning in the archaeological record. Some of these episodes were localized to one region, whereas others were part of pan-regional trends and cultural trajectories that took many centuries to play out fully, revealing prehistoric societies subject to collapse, recovery, and continuing instability over the long-term. Using the radiocarbon evidence, we model growth rates in the various regions so that the tempo of change at certain points in space and time can be identified, compared, and discussed in the context of demographic change. Using other published databases of radiocarbon data, we have drawn comparisons across the central Mediterranean to wider prehistoric Europe, and northern Africa. Finally, we include a brief response to the synchronously published but independently developed paper (Palmisano et al. in J World Prehist 34(3), 2021). While there are differences in our respective approaches, we share the general conclusions that large-scale trends can been identified through meta-analyses of the archaeological record, and these offer new perspectives on how society functioned.

scholarly journals Radiocarbon Dating Shows an Early Appearance of Philistine Material Culture in Tell es-Safi/Gath, Philistia

Radiocarbon ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 825-850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yotam Asscher ◽  
Dan Cabanes ◽  
Louise A Hitchcock ◽  
Aren M Maeir ◽  
Steve Weiner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Integrative Approach ◽  
Southern Levant ◽  
13Th Century ◽  
12Th Century ◽  
Archaeological Artifacts

The Late Bronze Age to Iron Age transition in the coastal southern Levant involves a major cultural change, which is characterized, among other things, by the appearance of Philistine pottery locally produced in styles derived from outside the Levant. This transition in the coastal southern Levant is conventionally dated to the 12th century BC, based on historical and archaeological artifacts associated with the Philistine pottery. Radiocarbon dating can provide a more precise independent absolute chronology for this transition, but dating for the period under discussion is complicated by the wiggles and relatively flat slope in the calibration curve, which significantly reduce precision. An additional complication is that the stratigraphic record below and above the transition at this site, as well as at most other sites in the region, is far from complete. We thus used a variety of microarchaeological techniques to improve our understanding of the stratigraphy, and to ensure that the locations with datable short-lived materials were only derived from primary contexts, which could be related directly to the associated material culture. The 14C dates were modeled using Bayesian statistics that incorporate the stratigraphic information. Using this integrative approach, we date the appearance of the Philistine pottery in Tell es-Safi/Gath in the 13th century BC.

scholarly journals PENDULUM MIGRATIONS IN THE CIRCUM-PONTIC STEPPE AND CENTRAL EUROPE DURING THE PALEOMETAL EPOCH AND THE PROBLEM OF GENESIS OF THE YAMNA CULTURE

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-146
Author(s):  
S. V. Ivanova ◽  
A. G. Nikitin ◽  
D. V. Kiosak
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Northern Europe ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Genetic Element ◽  
North Caucasus ◽  
Genetic Determinants ◽  
Cultural Changes ◽  
The North ◽  
The Bronze Age

This article is dedicated to the problem of the origin and spread of the Yamna cultural-historical community (YCHC) in the context of the hypothesis recently expressed by geneticists about the massive migration of population groups genetically related to YCHC and carrying the genetic determinants of the Iranian Neolithic agrarians and hunters and fishers of the North Caucasus from the Ponto- Caspian steppe to central and northern Europe at the beginning of the Bronze Age. Based on an in-depth archeological and genetic analysis, we propose that the genetic «invasion» of the Iranian-Caucasian genetic element into Europe at the beginning of the Bronze Age, recently proposed by paleogenetisits on the basis of a large-scale study of ancient DNA, was not the result of a large-scale migration of representatives of YCHC from the Ponto-Caspian steppes to central and northern Europe, but the result of global population and cultural changes in Eurasia at the end of the Atlantic climatic optimum. We further suggest that before the steppe genetics appeared in Europe at the beginning of the Bronze Age, central European genetic determinants appeared in the steppe in the Eneolithic, and that the movement of the steppe genetic element to Europe was at least in part the second phase of the «pendular» migration of European expatriates, returning to the historical zone of habitation. We also come to the conclusion that the very concept of distinguishing YCHC as a monolithic entity is inappropriate, and that the groups of nomadic tribes of the Ponto-Caspian steppe most likely existed as discrete communities, although united by a common ideology and a genetic relationship that included both the Iranian-Caucasian (throughout the entire range), and European / Anatolian agricultural (locally) genetic elements.

scholarly journals Reevaluating the antiquity of the Palmrose site: Collections-based research of an early plank house on the northern Oregon Coast

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0255223
Author(s):  
Gabriel M. Sanchez
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Bayesian Modeling ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Smithsonian Institution ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Oregon Coast ◽  
Maximum Range ◽  
1960S And 1970S ◽  
The 1960S

Large-scale excavations conducted by Smithsonian Institution archaeologists and avocational archaeologists during the 1960s and 1970s at three sites in Seaside, Oregon, resulted in the recovery of a diverse range of material culture curated by multiple institutions. One site, known as Palmrose (35CLT47), provides compelling evidence for the presence of one of the earliest examples of a rectangular plank house along the Oregon Coast. Previous research suggests habitation of the Palmrose site occurred between 2340 cal BC to cal AD 640. However, recent research highlights significant chronometric hygiene concerns of previously reported radiocarbon dates for the Seaside area, calling into question broader regional chronologies. This paper presents a revised chronology for the Palmrose site based on 12 new accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates of ancient cervid bones. I evaluate these new dates and previously reported radiocarbon dates from the site, applying chronometric hygiene assessments and Bayesian statistics to build a refined chronology for the Palmrose site. Calibration of the 12 AMS radiocarbon dates suggests an initial occupation range from 345−55 cal BC and a terminal occupation range from cal AD 225−340−. Bayesian modeling of the Palmrose sequence suggests initial occupation may have spanned from 195−50 cal BC and the terminal occupation from cal AD 210−255. Modeling suggests the maximum range of occupation may span from 580−55 cal BC to cal AD 210−300 based on the start and end boundary calculations. Bayesian modeling of radiocarbon dates directly associated with the plank house deposits suggests the plank house’s occupation may have spanned from 160−1 cal BC to cal AD 170−320. The new radiocarbon dates significantly constrain the Palmrose habitation and alter regional chronologies.

scholarly journals A Merovingian Surprise: Early Medieval Radiocarbon Dates on Cremated Bone (Borsbeek, Belgium)

Radiocarbon ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 54 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 581-588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guy De Mulder ◽  
Mark van Strydonck ◽  
Rica Annaert ◽  
Mathieu Boudin
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Late Bronze Age ◽  
Early Medieval ◽  
Funerary Practices ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Northern Regions ◽  
Burial Rites

Radiocarbon dating of cremated bone is a well-established practice in the study of prehistoric cremation cemeteries since the introduction of the method in the late 1990s. 14C dates on the Late Bronze Age urnfield and Merovingian cemetery at Borsbeek in Belgium shed new light on Merovingian funerary practices. Inhumation was the dominant funerary rite in this period in the Austrasian region. In the Scheldt Valley, however, some cremations are known, termed Brandgrubengräber, which consist of the deposition of a mix of cremated bone and the remnants from the pyre in the grave pit. 14C dates from Borsbeek show that other ways of deposition of cremated bone in this period existed. In both cases, bones were selected from the pyre and wrapped in an organic container before being buried. Recent excavation and 14C dates from another Merovingian cemetery at Broechem confirmed the information about the burial rites and chronology from Borsbeek. This early Medieval practice of cremation rituals seems an indication of new arrivals of colonists from northern regions where cremation remained the dominant funerary rite. Another case at Borsbeek shows the reuse of a Late Bronze Age urn in the Merovingian period. This practice is known from Viking burials in Scandinavia, but was not ascertained until now in Flanders.

CHRONOLOGY OF THE TIANSHANBEILU CEMETERY IN XINJIANG, NORTHWESTERN CHINA

Radiocarbon ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Jianyi Tong ◽  
Jian Ma ◽  
Wenying Li ◽  
Xi’en Chang ◽  
Jianjun Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Hexi Corridor ◽  
Human Migration ◽  
Western China ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
The Third ◽  
Third Phase ◽  
And Diffusion ◽  
The Bronze Age

ABSTRACT Eurasian steppes experienced frequent cultural transfers, human migration, and diffusion of techniques during the Bronze Age. The Hami Oasis is one of the most dynamic areas and has attracted multiple cultural flows. It is an important area that connects various routes of the Tianshan Corridor with the Hexi Corridor in western China. The Tianshanbeilu cemetery is the largest Bronze Age cemetery in Hami. Thirty-seven new radiocarbon dates allowed us to establish a new and more accurate chronology for Tianshanbeilu. Our results showed that the Tianshanbeilu cemetery was used from approximately 2022–1802 cal BC and remained in use from 1093–707 cal BC. This indicates that Tianshanbeilu is the earliest and longest-used known cemetery in eastern Xinjiang. By incorporating the typology of artifacts and stratigraphic relationships, the development of the Tianshanbeilu cemetery was divided into four phases. The first phase was from 2011–1672 cal BC, the second phase was from 1660–1408 cal BC, the third phase was from 1385–1256 cal BC, and the fourth phase was from 1214–1029 cal BC.

An island decides: megalithic burial rites on Menorca

Antiquity ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 80 (310) ◽  
pp. 829-842 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia Gili ◽  
Vicente Lull ◽  
Rafael Micó ◽  
Cristina Rihuete ◽  
Roberto Risch
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Chronological Order ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Burial Practice ◽  
Burial Rites ◽  
The Bronze Age

Recent research including 781 radiocarbon dates and the excavation of Ses Arenes de Baix, has allowed a new review of the sequence of megalithic burial practice on Menorca. Rock-cut tombs, dolmens, caves with entrance-works and the famous boat-shaped houses and tombs (navetes) are placed in overlapping chronological order. The authors suggest that, while aware of contemporary developments on the continent, the Bronze Age islanders absorbed immigrants and made their own local choices of memorial architecture.

Radiocarbon Dating of Early Dynastic Mesopotamia: Results, Limitations, and Prospects

Radiocarbon ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 635-645 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maciej Mateusz Wencel
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
Bayesian Modeling ◽  
Early Bronze Age ◽  
Textual Information ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Gradual Evolution ◽  
Early Dynastic ◽  
Southern Iraq ◽  
Textual Records

AbstractThis paper describes the results of Bayesian modeling of radiocarbon dates from Early Bronze Age contexts in Southern Mesopotamia, modern-day southern Iraq. The model uses 14C dates available in the literature, employing archaeological and textual information to correlate contexts from a number of important Mesopotamian sites. The insufficient number of dates makes it impossible to precisely define the chronology of the period in question; however, the analysis allows for observing patterns of cultural change otherwise invisible in archaeological and textual records. Firstly, it is suggested that there was a hiatus of at least a century between the latest protocuneiform texts and the earliest historical writing. Furthermore, the results seem to argue against a steady, gradual evolution of literate civilizations, indicating a more complex and varied process of development.

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