scholarly journals Radiocarbon dating of ancient Japanese calligraphy sheets and the discovery of 45 letters of a lost manuscript

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 331-334
Author(s):  
H. Oda ◽  
H. Yasu ◽  
K. Ikeda ◽  
M. Sakamoto ◽  
Y. Yoshizawa

Abstract The Miidera-gire is an ancient paper sheet with different, elegant calligraphy on both sides. One side contains a part of a Buddhist scripture from around the ninth to the twelfth century and written in cursive hand, while the other side contains a part of Monzen (an anthology of Chinese literary works). The paleographical style of this Monzen seems to be older than that of the Buddhist scripture and is similar to some Chinese manuscripts written in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618–907). However, amid these elegant calligraphic writings, there exist many copies and counterfeits that were written several centuries later. We, therefore, measured the radiocarbon age of the Miidera-gire by using accelerator mass spectrometry. The calibrated radiocarbon age indicated 666–776 [cal AD] (2σ error), thus leading to the conclusion that the Monzen was first written on the obverse side, and long afterwards, the Buddhist scripture was written on the reverse side. Since only a few incomplete books of Monzen were written before the ninth century, this calligraphy is one of the oldest of the existing Monzen manuscripts.

2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-244
Author(s):  
CHANG XU ◽  
HELEN WANG

When the Tang dynasty took power in 618, it inherited the multicurrency system of earlier dynasties. The zuyongdiao tax system, in effect from the start of the dynasty, required each taxpayer to submit taxes in grain, labour and cloth. At the same time, the government also minted coins, which constituted some 10 per cent of the total money supply. A persistent shortage of copper limited the number of minted coins the government could issue. Accordingly, officials tried to ensure that sufficient coins and textiles circulated so that both forms of money remained in use. They displayed no consistent preference for one form of money over the other but devised policies to encourage the use of whichever form was then in short supply.


Radiocarbon ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 933-940 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shinya Yatsuzuka ◽  
Mitsuru Okuno ◽  
Toshio Nakamura ◽  
Katsuhiko Kimura ◽  
Yohei Setoma ◽  
...  

We performed accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dating and wiggle-matching of 2 wood samples from charred trunks of trees (samples A and B) collected from an ignimbrite deposit on the northeastern slope of the Baitoushan Volcano on the border of China and North Korea. The obtained calendar years for the eruption are cal AD 945–960 for sample A and cal AD 859–884 and cal AD 935–963 for sample B in the 2-σ range. These results are unable to determine the precise eruption age. The reason for the difference in reported ages may be due to volcanic gas emission prior to the huge eruption.


Worldview ◽  
1976 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 43-48
Author(s):  
Miriam London ◽  
Ivan D. London

It's nothing new in Chinese history to impress the foreigner for the sake of the country's face,” said a young escaper last year in Hong Kong, who by no means intended to denigrate his country. “When people from other countries came to the ancient capital of Ch'ang An in the Tang Dynasty, it was so gorgeously decorated, those foreigners were astounded….If the rulers today desire not to let foreigners see anyone wearing patched clothes, that can easily be arranged. And if they want to show foreigners trees in Peking with silk hanging from the branches, that is also possible.”Visitors from afar viewing today what B. Michael Frolic describes as “the peaceful blues and grays and whites of Chinese cities” would certainly smile at the thought of brocades waving in the breeze.


Radiocarbon ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 977-986 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher M Wurster ◽  
Michael I Bird ◽  
Ian Bull ◽  
Charlotte Bryant ◽  
Philippa Ascough

We present accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates on several organic fractions isolated from tropical guano deposits recovered from insular Southeast Asia. Differences were observed between 14C measurements made on bulk guano as well as bulk lipids, the saturated hydrocarbon fraction, solvent-extracted guano, and insect cuticles extracted from the same bulk sample. We infer that 14C dates from the bulk lipid fraction and saturated hydrocarbon fractions can be variably contaminated by exogenous carbon. In contrast, 14C measurements on solvent-extracted guano and isolated insect cuticles appear to yield the most robust age determinations.


Radiocarbon ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 843-849 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georges Bonani ◽  
Susan Ivy ◽  
Willy Wölfli ◽  
Magen Broshi ◽  
Israel Carmi ◽  
...  

The name Dead Sea Scrolls refers to some 1200 manuscripts found in caves in the hills on the western shore of the Dead Sea during the last 45 years. They range in size from small fragments to complete books from the holy scriptures (the Old Testament). The manuscripts also include uncanonized sectarian books, letters and commercial documents, written on papyrus and parchment. In only a few cases, direct information on the date of writing was found in the scrolls. In all other cases, the dating is based on indirect archaeological and paleographical evidence. To check this evidence, radiocarbon ages of 14 selected scrolls were determined using accelerator mass spectrometry. The calibrated radiocarbon ages agree well, except in one case, with the paleographic estimates or the specific dates noted on the scrolls.


Radiocarbon ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 293-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. H. Wu ◽  
H. F. Wang ◽  
Y. F. Liu ◽  
X. Y. Lu ◽  
J. J. Wang ◽  
...  

Based on the study of DNA adduction with nicotine, we have measured the mouse hepatic histone adduction with 14C-labeled nicotine in vivo by bio-accelerator mass spectrometry (bio-AMS). In the exposure of mice to nicotine, the dose range administered was from 0.2 μg to 6.0 μg kg b.w.-1, which was equivalent to a very low level of human exposure to cigarette smoke. The adducts of either histone 1 (H1) or histone 3 (H3) with nicotine in mouse liver increased markedly with increasing nicotine dose. Our results have demonstrated that in the study of protein adduction with toxic xenobiotics as a biomarker, the AMS method achieves the highest sensitivity, 4.6 × 10-17 mol (46 amol) adducts per mg H1 protein, compared to all the other methods used previously.


Radiocarbon ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 43 (2B) ◽  
pp. 1109-1114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiyu Guo ◽  
Kexin Liu ◽  
Xiangyang Lu ◽  
Hongji Ma ◽  
Kun Li ◽  
...  

Tianma-Qucun is the biggest site of Western Zhou Dynasty discovered in Shanxi Province, China. It has been recognized as the early capital of Jin, a vassal state of Western Zhou. The territories were granted to the first Marquis of Jin with the title in the early days of Western Zhou. Bone sample series from the site were radiocarbon-dated by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and calibrated with the Oxford calibration program OxCal 3.5. Bayesian analysis of the calibrated ages shows that the earliest residents of the Western Zhou came to Tianma-Qucun area in 1020–940 BC and the lower boundary of the Western Zhou is 796–754 BC, which corresponds well to the historical record 770 BC.


Radiocarbon ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 437-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Uchida ◽  
O Cunin ◽  
I Shimoda ◽  
Y Takubo ◽  
T Nakagawa

In the Angkor monuments of Cambodia, pieces of wood remain (as head frames of doorways, crossbeams, ceiling boards, etc.) in the following 8 monuments: Bakong, Lolei, Baksei Chamkrong, North Khleang, Angkor Wat, Banteay Kdei, Bayon, and Gates of Angkor Thorn. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dating carried out on 15 wood samples collected from the above 8 monuments revealed that most of the wood samples are original, except for the head frame of a doorway in Baksei Chamkrong, the ceiling boards in the northwest tower, and a crossbeam with pivot hole in the southwest tower of the Inner Gallery of Angkor Wat. The 14C age for the head frame of a doorway in the inner wall under the central tower of North Khleang supports the hypothesis that the inner walls are additions from a later period.


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