Accelerator mass spectrometer measurement results of C14 age in tree rings from 13 different dend... more Accelerator mass spectrometer measurement results of C14 age in tree rings from 13 different dendrochronoligically dated trees from England and Switzerland spanning the last almost all of the last millenium. The Sun provides almost all of the external forcing to the Earth system, so that its variability is of considerable interest for geoscience. Observational records of solar activity cover only the last about 400 yr. Beyond that, cosmogenic nuclides stored in tree rings (14C) or ice cores (10Be, 36Cl) are used as proxies for solar activity extending back by many thousands of years1-3. Major drawbacks of cosmogenic nuclide based solar reconstructions are the presence of weather-induced noise (10Be in ice cores) and/or low temporal resolution of long, precisely dated records (14C in tree rings). Here, we present a continuous, annually resolved 14C record from absolutely dated tree rings covering nearly all of the last millennium (969-1933 AD). The high resolution and high precision ...
<p>Our Sun erratically expels large amounts of energetic particles into the... more <p>Our Sun erratically expels large amounts of energetic particles into the interplanetary space and towards Earth, which can be observed as so-called solar proton events (SPE). A strong SPE might cause major damage to satellites and could even disrupt transformers at the ground<sup>1</sup>. This rises the questions how often strong SPEs occur. Since direct observations of SPEs are limited to the last decades, cosmogenic radionuclides can be used to detect such events further back in time. The production rate of cosmogenic nuclides, such as radiocarbon, is primarily dependent on the incoming flux of highly energetic galactic cosmic rays (GCR). Under normal conditions, the Sun’s magnetic field carried by the (low energy) solar protons shields us from (high energy) GCRs, resulting in a lower production of cosmogenic radionuclides when the Sun is active. During a SPE, however, the sudden and drastic increase of high the energy solar protons themselves may lead to an elevated production of cosmogenic radionuclides on Earth. Only recently, such sharp increases in cosmogenic nuclide production occurring within less than one year have been detected in several radionuclide records (<sup>10</sup>Be, <sup>36</sup>Cl, <sup>14</sup>C) from ice core and tree ring records, and have been attributed to SPEs<sup>2,3</sup>.</p> <p>Until now, only three SPE could confidently be detected in cosmogenic radionuclide records<sup>1,4,5</sup>. The reason for this is a general lack of accurately dated and annually resolved radionuclide records and/or the strong dampening of the production signal e.g. by the carbon cycle. To find and identify such events we measured radiocarbon in tree ring records at annual resolution with accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). In this new, accurately dated and annually resolved <sup>14</sup>C record spanning the past about 1000 yr we found several new candidates for SPEs. Their timing and amplitude in terms of cosmogenic nuclide production was characterized by using a global carbon cycle box model. Once unambiguously identified such spiked production increases recorded in the absolutely dated tree ring record have a great potential to be used as a global tool to synchronize other not well dated (climate) records with cosmogenic radionuclides (e.g. <sup>10</sup>Be, <sup>36</sup>Cl).</p> <p>1              Schrijver, C. J. et al. (2012) Estimating the frequency of extremely energetic solar events, based on solar, stellar, lunar, and terrestrial records. Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics <strong>117</strong></p> <p>2              Miyake, F., Masuda, K. & Nakamura, T. (2013) Another rapid event in the carbon-14 content of tree rings. Nature communications <strong>4</strong>, 1748</p> <p>3              Mekhaldi, F. et al. (2015) Multiradionuclide evidence for the solar origin of the cosmic-ray events of ᴀᴅ 774/5 and 993/4. Nature Communications <strong>6</strong>, 8611</p> <p>4              Miyake, F., Nagaya, K., Masuda, K. & Nakamura, T. A (2012) signature of cosmic-ray increase in AD 774-775 from tree rings in Japan. Nature <strong>486</strong>, 240-242</p> <p>5              O'Hare, P. et al. (2019) Multiradionuclide evidence for an extreme solar proton event around 2,610 B.P. ( approximately 660 BC). Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A <strong>116</strong>, 5961-5966</p>
Radiocarbon dating has been used infrequently as a chronological tool for research in Anglo-Saxon... more Radiocarbon dating has been used infrequently as a chronological tool for research in Anglo-Saxon archaeology. Primarily, this is because the uncertainty of calibrated dates provides little advantage over traditional archaeological dating in this period. Recent advances in Bayesian methodology in conjunction with high-precision 14C dating have, however, created the possibility of both testing and refining the established Anglo-Saxon chronologies based on typology of artifacts. The calibration process within such a confined age range, however, relies heavily on the structural accuracy of the calibration curve. We have previously reported decadal measurements on a section of the Irish oak chronology for the period AD 495–725 (McCormac et al. 2004). In this paper, we present decadal measurements for the periods AD 395–485 and AD 735–805, which extends the original calibration set.
High-quality data from appropriate archives are needed for the continuing improvement of radiocar... more High-quality data from appropriate archives are needed for the continuing improvement of radiocarbon calibration curves. We discuss here the basic assumptions behind 14C dating that necessitate calibration and the relative strengths and weaknesses of archives from which calibration data are obtained. We also highlight the procedures, problems, and uncertainties involved in determining atmospheric and surface ocean 14C/12C in these archives, including a discussion of the various methods used to derive an independent absolute timescale and uncertainty. The types of data required for the current IntCal database and calibration curve model are tabulated with examples.
First paragraph: The world of ‘absolute, true, and mathematical time', which &l... more First paragraph: The world of ‘absolute, true, and mathematical time', which ‘of itself, flows equably, without reference to anything external' (Newton 1687) was finally killed in the trenches of the First World War, whence Schwarzschild (1916) proposed the first solution to Einstein's general relativity field equations. From now on, space and time were inextricably linked; the past, the future, and simultaneity became relative and dependent on the reference frame of the observer (Einstein 1905; Minkowski 1908); and space-time itself became dynamic, bent by gravity relative to the position of the observer, and deformed by mass and speed (Einstein 1915). Space and time are now not merely the arena in which the drama of the universe is acted out but part of the cast
This paper, presents formally modelled date estimates for the sequence of Lengyel funerary potter... more This paper, presents formally modelled date estimates for the sequence of Lengyel funerary pottery in western Hungary, eastern Austria and south-west Slovakia. It is an extension of the dating and modelling already carried out by the project, The Times of Their Lives (ToTL), on the major Lengyel aggregation, including burials, at Alsónyék-Bátaszék in south-east Transdanubia. The present study concentrates on furnished Lengyel graves, using the analysis of Lengyel funerary pottery from western Hungary, eastern Austria and south-west Slovakia. A full catalogue of the 121 pot types identified by István Zalai-Gaál is presented, and correspondence analysis of the occurrence of 113 of these types in 247 graves suggests a seriation for these grave-assemblages. The new radiocarbon dating programme for the sequence of Lengyel funerary pottery was designed within the framework of Bayesian chronological modelling. We aimed to provide formal date estimates for the use of different pot types and for their combinations in different phases of the seriation. We also aimed to estimate the period during which furnished Lengyel burial occurred, the pace of its introduction and demise, the date and duration of use of individual cemeteries, and the intensity of Lengyel funerary practice through time.
Pottery is one of the most commonly recovered artefacts from archaeological sites. Despite more t... more Pottery is one of the most commonly recovered artefacts from archaeological sites. Despite more than a century of relative dating based on typology and seriation, accurate dating of pottery using the radiocarbon dating method has proven extremely challenging owing to the limited survival of organic temper and unreliability of visible residues. Here we report a method to directly date archaeological pottery based on accelerator mass spectrometry analysis of 14C in absorbed food residues using palmitic (C16:0) and stearic (C18:0) fatty acids purified by preparative gas chromatography. We present accurate compound-specific radiocarbon determinations of lipids extracted from pottery vessels, which were rigorously evaluated by comparison with dendrochronological dates and inclusion in site and regional chronologies that contained previously determined radiocarbon dates on other materials. Notably, the compound-specific dates from each of the C16:0 and C18:0 fatty acids in pottery vessels provide an internal quality control of the results6 and are entirely compatible with dates for other commonly dated materials. Accurate radiocarbon dating of pottery vessels can reveal: (1) the period of use of pottery; (2) the antiquity of organic residues, including when specific foodstuffs were exploited; (3) the chronology of sites in the absence of traditionally datable materials; and (4) direct verification of pottery typochronologies. Here we used the method to date the exploitation of dairy and carcass products in Neolithic vessels from Britain, Anatolia, central and western Europe, and Saharan Africa.
CONTACT Nancy Beavan FOR ADVICE ON ACCESS
Understanding th... more CONTACT Nancy Beavan FOR ADVICE ON ACCESS
Understanding the resilience of early societies to climate change is an essential part of exploring the environmental sensitivity of human populations. There is significant interest in the role of abrupt climate events as a driver of early Holocene human activity, but there are very few well-dated records directly compared with local climate archives. Here, we present evidence from the internationally important Mesolithic site of Star Carr showing occupation during the early Holocene, which is directly compared with a high-resolution palaeoclimate record from neighbouring lake beds. We show that—once established—there was intensive human activity at the site for several hundred years when the community was subject to multiple, severe, abrupt climate events that impacted air temperatures, the landscape and the ecosystem of the region. However, these results show that occupation and activity at the site persisted regardless of the environmental stresses experienced by this society. The Star Carr population displayed a high level of resilience to climate change, suggesting that postglacial populations were not necessarily held hostage to the flickering switch of climate change. Instead, we show that local, intrinsic changes in the wetland environment were more significant in determining human activity than the large-scale abrupt early Holocene climate events.
There is a considerable mix of models for house durations in the literature on Neolithic Europe. ... more There is a considerable mix of models for house durations in the literature on Neolithic Europe. This article presents a summary of a formal chronological model for the Neolithic tell of Uivar in western Romania. We provide estimates of house duration and relate houses to other features of the development of this tell, from the later sixth to the mid-fifth millennium cal BC. Three wider implications are discussed: that the house must be contextualized case by case; that house duration gives powerful insights into the sociality of community; and that houses, surprisingly often taken rather for granted in Neolithic archaeology, should be fully integrated into the interpretation of Neolithic histories. From what perspective , anthropocentric or relational, that may best be done, is open to question; while it may be helpful to think in this case in terms of the lives and vitality of houses, the ability of people to create and vary history should not be set aside lightly.
– Recent work at Vinca-Belo Brdo has combined a total of more than 200 radiocarbon dates with an ... more – Recent work at Vinca-Belo Brdo has combined a total of more than 200 radiocarbon dates with an array of other information to construct much more precise narratives for the structural history of the site and the cultural materials recovered from it. In this paper, we present the results of a recent attempt to construct formal models for the chronology of the wider Vinca potscape, so that we can place our now detailed understanding of changes at Belo Brdo within their contemporary contexts. We present our methodology for assessing the potential of the existing corpus of more than 600 radiocarbon dates for refining the chronology of the five phases of Vinca ceramics proposed by Milojcic across their spatial ranges, including a total of 490 of them in a series of Bayesian chronological models. Then we outline our main results for the development of Vinca pottery. Finally, we discuss some of the major implications for our understanding of the source, character and tempo of material change.
Recent work at Vinča-Belo Brdo has combined a total of more than 200 radiocarbon
dates with an ar... more Recent work at Vinča-Belo Brdo has combined a total of more than 200 radiocarbon dates with an array of other information to construct much more precise narratives for the structural history of the site and the cultural materials recovered from it. In this paper, we present the results of a recent attempt to construct formal models for the chronology of the wider Vinča potscape, so that we can place our now detailed understanding of changes at Belo Brdo within their contemporary contexts. We present our methodology for assessing the potential of the existing corpus of more than 600 radiocarbon dates for refining the chronology of the five phases of Vinča ceramics proposed by Milojčić across their spatial ranges, including a total of 490 of them in a series of Bayesian chronological models. Then we outline our main results for the development of Vinča pottery. Finally, we discuss some of the major implications for our understanding of the source, character and tempo of material change.
Perhaps nowhere in European prehistory does the idea of clearly-defined cultural boundaries remai... more Perhaps nowhere in European prehistory does the idea of clearly-defined cultural boundaries remain more current than in the initial Neolithic, where the southeast–north-west trend of the spread of farming crosses what is perceived as a sharp divide between the Balkans and central Europe. This corresponds to a distinction between the Vinča culture package, named for a classic site in Serbia, with its characteristic pottery assemblage and absence of longhouses, and the Linearbandkeramik (LBK), with equally diagnostic but different pottery, and its apparently culturally-diagnostic longhouses, extending in a more northerly belt through central Europe westward to the Dutch coast. In this paper we question the concept of such a clear division through a presentation of new data from the site of Szederkény-Kukorica-d} ul} o. A large settlement in southeast Transdanubia, Hungary, excavated in advance of road construction, Szederkény is notable for its combination of
Resumen: Se presenta un estudio de la cronología del tholos de Montelirio a partir de 22 fechas r... more Resumen: Se presenta un estudio de la cronología del tholos de Montelirio a partir de 22 fechas radiocarbónicas y su modelado formal mediante estadística bayesiana. Después de considerar minuciosamente los problemas y limitaciones asociados a cada una de las dataciones disponibles se proponen dos modelos cronológicos alternativos en relación con la temporalidad de este gran monumento megalítico. Los resultados sugieren que Montelirio fue construido en algún momento entre finales del siglo 29 y finales del siglo 28 cal ANE y que la actividad funeraria en su interior pudo ocurrir bien como resultado de un evento único o como pro-ducto de varios eventos relativamente próximos en el tiempo (separados por varias décadas como mucho). La discusión de estos resultados incluye referencias a los resultados de un amplio estudio de la cronología radiocarbónica de Valencina actualmente en prensa (García Sanjuán et al., En Prensa), en términos de la temporalidad de este gran asentamiento calcolítico y la posición de Montelirio en la misma. Abstract: We present a study of the Montelirio tholos chronology based on 22 radiocarbon dates and their formal modelling through Bayesian statistics. After careful consideration of the limitations and problems inherent to each of the available 14 C dates, two alternative models of the temporality of this great megalithic monument are presented. The results suggest that Montelirio was built some time between the end of the 29 th and the end of the 28 th centuries cal BC, and that burial activity inside it may have taken place either as a result of a single event or as the product of various events in close temporal proximity (perhaps through a few decades). The discussion of these results includes references to the results of an extensive study of the chronology of Valencina de la Concepción, currently in press (García Sanjuán et al., In Press) in terms of the temporality of this large Copper Age settlement and the position of Montelirio in it.
Bayesian statistical frameworks have been used to calculate explicit, quantified estimates for si... more Bayesian statistical frameworks have been used to calculate explicit, quantified estimates for site chronologies, and have been especially useful for resolving the complex probability distributions of calibrated radiocarbon dates to the level of individual prehistoric lifetimes and generations. Here the technique is applied to the Neolithic tell of Vinča-Belo Brdo in order to answer long-standing questions about the timing and circumstances of its demise. Modelled date estimates place the end of the site in the second half of the forty-sixth century cal BC. Two successive horizons of closely spaced houses each suffered extensive burning; the interval between them was placed at a maximum of 25 years, with the last house probably used for less than 15 years. The evidence suggests that these house burnings were deliberate, and opens new considerations for the causes of the end of the tell-based system in south-east Europe.
Accelerator mass spectrometer measurement results of C14 age in tree rings from 13 different dend... more Accelerator mass spectrometer measurement results of C14 age in tree rings from 13 different dendrochronoligically dated trees from England and Switzerland spanning the last almost all of the last millenium. The Sun provides almost all of the external forcing to the Earth system, so that its variability is of considerable interest for geoscience. Observational records of solar activity cover only the last about 400 yr. Beyond that, cosmogenic nuclides stored in tree rings (14C) or ice cores (10Be, 36Cl) are used as proxies for solar activity extending back by many thousands of years1-3. Major drawbacks of cosmogenic nuclide based solar reconstructions are the presence of weather-induced noise (10Be in ice cores) and/or low temporal resolution of long, precisely dated records (14C in tree rings). Here, we present a continuous, annually resolved 14C record from absolutely dated tree rings covering nearly all of the last millennium (969-1933 AD). The high resolution and high precision ...
<p>Our Sun erratically expels large amounts of energetic particles into the... more <p>Our Sun erratically expels large amounts of energetic particles into the interplanetary space and towards Earth, which can be observed as so-called solar proton events (SPE). A strong SPE might cause major damage to satellites and could even disrupt transformers at the ground<sup>1</sup>. This rises the questions how often strong SPEs occur. Since direct observations of SPEs are limited to the last decades, cosmogenic radionuclides can be used to detect such events further back in time. The production rate of cosmogenic nuclides, such as radiocarbon, is primarily dependent on the incoming flux of highly energetic galactic cosmic rays (GCR). Under normal conditions, the Sun’s magnetic field carried by the (low energy) solar protons shields us from (high energy) GCRs, resulting in a lower production of cosmogenic radionuclides when the Sun is active. During a SPE, however, the sudden and drastic increase of high the energy solar protons themselves may lead to an elevated production of cosmogenic radionuclides on Earth. Only recently, such sharp increases in cosmogenic nuclide production occurring within less than one year have been detected in several radionuclide records (<sup>10</sup>Be, <sup>36</sup>Cl, <sup>14</sup>C) from ice core and tree ring records, and have been attributed to SPEs<sup>2,3</sup>.</p> <p>Until now, only three SPE could confidently be detected in cosmogenic radionuclide records<sup>1,4,5</sup>. The reason for this is a general lack of accurately dated and annually resolved radionuclide records and/or the strong dampening of the production signal e.g. by the carbon cycle. To find and identify such events we measured radiocarbon in tree ring records at annual resolution with accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). In this new, accurately dated and annually resolved <sup>14</sup>C record spanning the past about 1000 yr we found several new candidates for SPEs. Their timing and amplitude in terms of cosmogenic nuclide production was characterized by using a global carbon cycle box model. Once unambiguously identified such spiked production increases recorded in the absolutely dated tree ring record have a great potential to be used as a global tool to synchronize other not well dated (climate) records with cosmogenic radionuclides (e.g. <sup>10</sup>Be, <sup>36</sup>Cl).</p> <p>1              Schrijver, C. J. et al. (2012) Estimating the frequency of extremely energetic solar events, based on solar, stellar, lunar, and terrestrial records. Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics <strong>117</strong></p> <p>2              Miyake, F., Masuda, K. & Nakamura, T. (2013) Another rapid event in the carbon-14 content of tree rings. Nature communications <strong>4</strong>, 1748</p> <p>3              Mekhaldi, F. et al. (2015) Multiradionuclide evidence for the solar origin of the cosmic-ray events of ᴀᴅ 774/5 and 993/4. Nature Communications <strong>6</strong>, 8611</p> <p>4              Miyake, F., Nagaya, K., Masuda, K. & Nakamura, T. A (2012) signature of cosmic-ray increase in AD 774-775 from tree rings in Japan. Nature <strong>486</strong>, 240-242</p> <p>5              O'Hare, P. et al. (2019) Multiradionuclide evidence for an extreme solar proton event around 2,610 B.P. ( approximately 660 BC). Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A <strong>116</strong>, 5961-5966</p>
Radiocarbon dating has been used infrequently as a chronological tool for research in Anglo-Saxon... more Radiocarbon dating has been used infrequently as a chronological tool for research in Anglo-Saxon archaeology. Primarily, this is because the uncertainty of calibrated dates provides little advantage over traditional archaeological dating in this period. Recent advances in Bayesian methodology in conjunction with high-precision 14C dating have, however, created the possibility of both testing and refining the established Anglo-Saxon chronologies based on typology of artifacts. The calibration process within such a confined age range, however, relies heavily on the structural accuracy of the calibration curve. We have previously reported decadal measurements on a section of the Irish oak chronology for the period AD 495–725 (McCormac et al. 2004). In this paper, we present decadal measurements for the periods AD 395–485 and AD 735–805, which extends the original calibration set.
High-quality data from appropriate archives are needed for the continuing improvement of radiocar... more High-quality data from appropriate archives are needed for the continuing improvement of radiocarbon calibration curves. We discuss here the basic assumptions behind 14C dating that necessitate calibration and the relative strengths and weaknesses of archives from which calibration data are obtained. We also highlight the procedures, problems, and uncertainties involved in determining atmospheric and surface ocean 14C/12C in these archives, including a discussion of the various methods used to derive an independent absolute timescale and uncertainty. The types of data required for the current IntCal database and calibration curve model are tabulated with examples.
First paragraph: The world of ‘absolute, true, and mathematical time', which &l... more First paragraph: The world of ‘absolute, true, and mathematical time', which ‘of itself, flows equably, without reference to anything external' (Newton 1687) was finally killed in the trenches of the First World War, whence Schwarzschild (1916) proposed the first solution to Einstein's general relativity field equations. From now on, space and time were inextricably linked; the past, the future, and simultaneity became relative and dependent on the reference frame of the observer (Einstein 1905; Minkowski 1908); and space-time itself became dynamic, bent by gravity relative to the position of the observer, and deformed by mass and speed (Einstein 1915). Space and time are now not merely the arena in which the drama of the universe is acted out but part of the cast
This paper, presents formally modelled date estimates for the sequence of Lengyel funerary potter... more This paper, presents formally modelled date estimates for the sequence of Lengyel funerary pottery in western Hungary, eastern Austria and south-west Slovakia. It is an extension of the dating and modelling already carried out by the project, The Times of Their Lives (ToTL), on the major Lengyel aggregation, including burials, at Alsónyék-Bátaszék in south-east Transdanubia. The present study concentrates on furnished Lengyel graves, using the analysis of Lengyel funerary pottery from western Hungary, eastern Austria and south-west Slovakia. A full catalogue of the 121 pot types identified by István Zalai-Gaál is presented, and correspondence analysis of the occurrence of 113 of these types in 247 graves suggests a seriation for these grave-assemblages. The new radiocarbon dating programme for the sequence of Lengyel funerary pottery was designed within the framework of Bayesian chronological modelling. We aimed to provide formal date estimates for the use of different pot types and for their combinations in different phases of the seriation. We also aimed to estimate the period during which furnished Lengyel burial occurred, the pace of its introduction and demise, the date and duration of use of individual cemeteries, and the intensity of Lengyel funerary practice through time.
Pottery is one of the most commonly recovered artefacts from archaeological sites. Despite more t... more Pottery is one of the most commonly recovered artefacts from archaeological sites. Despite more than a century of relative dating based on typology and seriation, accurate dating of pottery using the radiocarbon dating method has proven extremely challenging owing to the limited survival of organic temper and unreliability of visible residues. Here we report a method to directly date archaeological pottery based on accelerator mass spectrometry analysis of 14C in absorbed food residues using palmitic (C16:0) and stearic (C18:0) fatty acids purified by preparative gas chromatography. We present accurate compound-specific radiocarbon determinations of lipids extracted from pottery vessels, which were rigorously evaluated by comparison with dendrochronological dates and inclusion in site and regional chronologies that contained previously determined radiocarbon dates on other materials. Notably, the compound-specific dates from each of the C16:0 and C18:0 fatty acids in pottery vessels provide an internal quality control of the results6 and are entirely compatible with dates for other commonly dated materials. Accurate radiocarbon dating of pottery vessels can reveal: (1) the period of use of pottery; (2) the antiquity of organic residues, including when specific foodstuffs were exploited; (3) the chronology of sites in the absence of traditionally datable materials; and (4) direct verification of pottery typochronologies. Here we used the method to date the exploitation of dairy and carcass products in Neolithic vessels from Britain, Anatolia, central and western Europe, and Saharan Africa.
CONTACT Nancy Beavan FOR ADVICE ON ACCESS
Understanding th... more CONTACT Nancy Beavan FOR ADVICE ON ACCESS
Understanding the resilience of early societies to climate change is an essential part of exploring the environmental sensitivity of human populations. There is significant interest in the role of abrupt climate events as a driver of early Holocene human activity, but there are very few well-dated records directly compared with local climate archives. Here, we present evidence from the internationally important Mesolithic site of Star Carr showing occupation during the early Holocene, which is directly compared with a high-resolution palaeoclimate record from neighbouring lake beds. We show that—once established—there was intensive human activity at the site for several hundred years when the community was subject to multiple, severe, abrupt climate events that impacted air temperatures, the landscape and the ecosystem of the region. However, these results show that occupation and activity at the site persisted regardless of the environmental stresses experienced by this society. The Star Carr population displayed a high level of resilience to climate change, suggesting that postglacial populations were not necessarily held hostage to the flickering switch of climate change. Instead, we show that local, intrinsic changes in the wetland environment were more significant in determining human activity than the large-scale abrupt early Holocene climate events.
There is a considerable mix of models for house durations in the literature on Neolithic Europe. ... more There is a considerable mix of models for house durations in the literature on Neolithic Europe. This article presents a summary of a formal chronological model for the Neolithic tell of Uivar in western Romania. We provide estimates of house duration and relate houses to other features of the development of this tell, from the later sixth to the mid-fifth millennium cal BC. Three wider implications are discussed: that the house must be contextualized case by case; that house duration gives powerful insights into the sociality of community; and that houses, surprisingly often taken rather for granted in Neolithic archaeology, should be fully integrated into the interpretation of Neolithic histories. From what perspective , anthropocentric or relational, that may best be done, is open to question; while it may be helpful to think in this case in terms of the lives and vitality of houses, the ability of people to create and vary history should not be set aside lightly.
– Recent work at Vinca-Belo Brdo has combined a total of more than 200 radiocarbon dates with an ... more – Recent work at Vinca-Belo Brdo has combined a total of more than 200 radiocarbon dates with an array of other information to construct much more precise narratives for the structural history of the site and the cultural materials recovered from it. In this paper, we present the results of a recent attempt to construct formal models for the chronology of the wider Vinca potscape, so that we can place our now detailed understanding of changes at Belo Brdo within their contemporary contexts. We present our methodology for assessing the potential of the existing corpus of more than 600 radiocarbon dates for refining the chronology of the five phases of Vinca ceramics proposed by Milojcic across their spatial ranges, including a total of 490 of them in a series of Bayesian chronological models. Then we outline our main results for the development of Vinca pottery. Finally, we discuss some of the major implications for our understanding of the source, character and tempo of material change.
Recent work at Vinča-Belo Brdo has combined a total of more than 200 radiocarbon
dates with an ar... more Recent work at Vinča-Belo Brdo has combined a total of more than 200 radiocarbon dates with an array of other information to construct much more precise narratives for the structural history of the site and the cultural materials recovered from it. In this paper, we present the results of a recent attempt to construct formal models for the chronology of the wider Vinča potscape, so that we can place our now detailed understanding of changes at Belo Brdo within their contemporary contexts. We present our methodology for assessing the potential of the existing corpus of more than 600 radiocarbon dates for refining the chronology of the five phases of Vinča ceramics proposed by Milojčić across their spatial ranges, including a total of 490 of them in a series of Bayesian chronological models. Then we outline our main results for the development of Vinča pottery. Finally, we discuss some of the major implications for our understanding of the source, character and tempo of material change.
Perhaps nowhere in European prehistory does the idea of clearly-defined cultural boundaries remai... more Perhaps nowhere in European prehistory does the idea of clearly-defined cultural boundaries remain more current than in the initial Neolithic, where the southeast–north-west trend of the spread of farming crosses what is perceived as a sharp divide between the Balkans and central Europe. This corresponds to a distinction between the Vinča culture package, named for a classic site in Serbia, with its characteristic pottery assemblage and absence of longhouses, and the Linearbandkeramik (LBK), with equally diagnostic but different pottery, and its apparently culturally-diagnostic longhouses, extending in a more northerly belt through central Europe westward to the Dutch coast. In this paper we question the concept of such a clear division through a presentation of new data from the site of Szederkény-Kukorica-d} ul} o. A large settlement in southeast Transdanubia, Hungary, excavated in advance of road construction, Szederkény is notable for its combination of
Resumen: Se presenta un estudio de la cronología del tholos de Montelirio a partir de 22 fechas r... more Resumen: Se presenta un estudio de la cronología del tholos de Montelirio a partir de 22 fechas radiocarbónicas y su modelado formal mediante estadística bayesiana. Después de considerar minuciosamente los problemas y limitaciones asociados a cada una de las dataciones disponibles se proponen dos modelos cronológicos alternativos en relación con la temporalidad de este gran monumento megalítico. Los resultados sugieren que Montelirio fue construido en algún momento entre finales del siglo 29 y finales del siglo 28 cal ANE y que la actividad funeraria en su interior pudo ocurrir bien como resultado de un evento único o como pro-ducto de varios eventos relativamente próximos en el tiempo (separados por varias décadas como mucho). La discusión de estos resultados incluye referencias a los resultados de un amplio estudio de la cronología radiocarbónica de Valencina actualmente en prensa (García Sanjuán et al., En Prensa), en términos de la temporalidad de este gran asentamiento calcolítico y la posición de Montelirio en la misma. Abstract: We present a study of the Montelirio tholos chronology based on 22 radiocarbon dates and their formal modelling through Bayesian statistics. After careful consideration of the limitations and problems inherent to each of the available 14 C dates, two alternative models of the temporality of this great megalithic monument are presented. The results suggest that Montelirio was built some time between the end of the 29 th and the end of the 28 th centuries cal BC, and that burial activity inside it may have taken place either as a result of a single event or as the product of various events in close temporal proximity (perhaps through a few decades). The discussion of these results includes references to the results of an extensive study of the chronology of Valencina de la Concepción, currently in press (García Sanjuán et al., In Press) in terms of the temporality of this large Copper Age settlement and the position of Montelirio in it.
Bayesian statistical frameworks have been used to calculate explicit, quantified estimates for si... more Bayesian statistical frameworks have been used to calculate explicit, quantified estimates for site chronologies, and have been especially useful for resolving the complex probability distributions of calibrated radiocarbon dates to the level of individual prehistoric lifetimes and generations. Here the technique is applied to the Neolithic tell of Vinča-Belo Brdo in order to answer long-standing questions about the timing and circumstances of its demise. Modelled date estimates place the end of the site in the second half of the forty-sixth century cal BC. Two successive horizons of closely spaced houses each suffered extensive burning; the interval between them was placed at a maximum of 25 years, with the last house probably used for less than 15 years. The evidence suggests that these house burnings were deliberate, and opens new considerations for the causes of the end of the tell-based system in south-east Europe.
Bericht der Römisch-Germanischen Kommission 94 (2013), 2016
To the east of the main excavated area at Alsónyék, a small investigation took place which reveal... more To the east of the main excavated area at Alsónyék, a small investigation took place which revealed a Sopot culture occupation, represented by pits, four ditches and 18 graves with the remains of 20 individuals. Some time-depth to the occupation is seen in the ditches cutting the pits, and some of the graves cutting the third ditch. The enclosed area was about five hectares, based on geomagnetic survey, but it is not possible to estimate the entire size of the occupation. The Sopot culture is normally regarded as a horizon with a questionable chronological position on the boundary between the Middle and Late Neolithic in western Hungary. Its role in the formation of the large-scale Lengyel complex remains controversial. Scholars can agree that it was brought to the region from the south, but there have been different views concerning the timing of its spread in the western Carpathian basin. Some have seen it as an entirely pre-Lengyel development, and others as at least partly contemporaneous with the early Lengyel culture. Dating within the ERC-funded project, The Times of Their Lives, aimed to provide formally modelled estimates of the timing and duration of the Sopot occupation at Alsónyék, and in so doing also to contribute to better understanding of the context and development of the Sopot culture in Hungary. The paper presents 17 dates on human and animal bone (including five existing dates from burials), which are modelled in a Bayesian statistical framework. The model concentrates on the samples available from the burials, and its main element regards the burials as representing a continuous period of activity in this area of the Alsónyék complex. The model estimates that the Sopot burials probably began in 5095–5020 cal BC (68% probability), probably lasted for 220–340 years (68% probability), and probably ended in 4825–4750 cal BC (68% probability). The model also estimates a terminus ante quem for the digging of Ditch 211 of probably 4930–4870 cal BC (68% probability). These estimates help to inform debate about the relative sequence of cultural developments in the region, and the relationship of Sopot communities to those of the LBK and the Lengyel cultures. As Alsónyék is the largest currently known Sopot burial ground in Hungary in eastern Transdanubia, this chronology is particularly valuable for modelling cultural interactions along the Danube between the northern Balkans and the Carpathian basin. The Sopot component also contributes significantly to the construction of a robust chronology for the long sequence of occupations at Alsónyék.
Fernández Flores, A., García Sanjuán, L. and Díaz-Zorita Bonilla, M. (eds.): Montelirio: Un Gran Monumento Megalítico de la Edad del Cobre, 485-502., 2016
We present a study of the Montelirio tholos chronology based on 22 radiocarbon dates and their fo... more We present a study of the Montelirio tholos chronology based on 22 radiocarbon dates and their formal modelling through Bayesian statistics. After careful consideration of the limitations and problems inherent to each of the available 14 C dates, two alternative models of the temporality of this great megalithic monument are presented. The results suggest that Montelirio was built some time between the end of the 29 th and the end of the 28 th centuries cal BC, and that burial activity inside it may have taken place either as a result of a single event or as the product of various events in close temporal proximity (perhaps through a few decades). The discussion of these results includes references to the results of an extensive study of the chronology of Valencina de la Concepción, currently in press (García Sanjuán et al., In Press) in terms of the temporality of this large Copper Age settlement and the position of Montelirio in it.
Journal of World Prehistory 31 (2), 179–313., 2018
"The great site of Valencina de la Concepción-Castilleja de Guzmán, near Seville in the lower Gua... more "The great site of Valencina de la Concepción-Castilleja de Guzmán, near Seville in the lower Guadalquivir valley of southwest Spain, is presented in the context of debate about the nature of Copper Age society in southern Iberia as a whole. Many aspects of the layout, use, character and development of Valencina remain unclear, just as there are major unresolved questions about the kind of society represented there and in southern Iberia, from the late fourth to the late third millennium cal BC. This paper discusses 178 radiocarbon dates, from 17 excavated sectors within the c. 450 ha site, making it the best dated in later Iberian prehistory as a whole. Dates are modelled in a Bayesian statistical framework. The resulting formal date estimates provide the basis for both a new epistemological approach to the site and a much more detailed narrative of its development than previously available. Beginning in the 32nd century cal BC, a long-lasting tradition of simple, mainly collective and often successive burial was established at the site. Mud-vaulted tholoi appear to belong to the 29th or 28th centuries cal BC; large stone-vaulted tholoi such as La Pastora appear to date later in the sequence. There is plenty of evidence for a wide range of other activity, but no clear sign of permanent, large-scale residence or public buildings or spaces. Results in general support a model of increasingly competitive but ultimately unstable social relations, through various phases of emergence, social competition, display and hierarchisation, and eventual decline, over a period of c. 900 years."
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The present study concentrates on furnished Lengyel graves, using the analysis of Lengyel funerary pottery from western Hungary, eastern Austria and south-west Slovakia. A full catalogue of the 121 pot types identified by István Zalai-Gaál is presented, and correspondence analysis of the occurrence of 113 of these types in 247 graves suggests a seriation for these grave-assemblages. The new radiocarbon dating programme for the sequence of Lengyel funerary pottery was designed within the framework of Bayesian chronological modelling. We aimed to provide formal date estimates for the use of different pot types and for their combinations in different phases of the seriation. We also aimed to estimate the period during which furnished Lengyel burial occurred, the pace of its introduction and demise, the date and duration of use of individual cemeteries, and the intensity of Lengyel funerary practice through time.
https://rdcu.be/b3s6J (online pdf)
Understanding the resilience of early societies to climate change is an essential part of exploring the environmental sensitivity of human populations. There is significant interest in the role of abrupt climate events as a driver of early Holocene human activity, but there are very few well-dated records directly compared with local climate archives. Here, we present evidence from the internationally important Mesolithic site of Star Carr showing occupation during the early Holocene, which is directly compared with a high-resolution palaeoclimate record from neighbouring lake beds. We show that—once established—there was intensive human activity at the site for several hundred years when the community was subject to multiple, severe, abrupt climate events that impacted air temperatures, the landscape and the ecosystem of the region. However, these results show that occupation and activity at the site persisted regardless of the environmental stresses experienced by this society. The Star Carr population displayed a high level of resilience to climate change, suggesting that postglacial populations were not necessarily held hostage to the flickering switch of climate change. Instead, we show that local, intrinsic changes in the wetland environment were more significant in determining human activity than the large-scale abrupt early Holocene climate events.
dates with an array of other information to construct much more precise narratives for the structural history of the site and the cultural materials recovered from it. In this paper, we present the results of a recent attempt to construct formal models for the chronology of the wider Vinča potscape, so that we can place our now detailed understanding of changes at Belo Brdo within their contemporary contexts. We present our methodology for assessing the potential of the existing corpus of
more than 600 radiocarbon dates for refining the chronology of the five phases of Vinča ceramics proposed by Milojčić across their spatial ranges, including a total of 490 of them in a series of Bayesian chronological models. Then we outline our main results for the development of Vinča pottery. Finally, we discuss some of the major implications for our understanding of the source, character and tempo of material change.
The present study concentrates on furnished Lengyel graves, using the analysis of Lengyel funerary pottery from western Hungary, eastern Austria and south-west Slovakia. A full catalogue of the 121 pot types identified by István Zalai-Gaál is presented, and correspondence analysis of the occurrence of 113 of these types in 247 graves suggests a seriation for these grave-assemblages. The new radiocarbon dating programme for the sequence of Lengyel funerary pottery was designed within the framework of Bayesian chronological modelling. We aimed to provide formal date estimates for the use of different pot types and for their combinations in different phases of the seriation. We also aimed to estimate the period during which furnished Lengyel burial occurred, the pace of its introduction and demise, the date and duration of use of individual cemeteries, and the intensity of Lengyel funerary practice through time.
https://rdcu.be/b3s6J (online pdf)
Understanding the resilience of early societies to climate change is an essential part of exploring the environmental sensitivity of human populations. There is significant interest in the role of abrupt climate events as a driver of early Holocene human activity, but there are very few well-dated records directly compared with local climate archives. Here, we present evidence from the internationally important Mesolithic site of Star Carr showing occupation during the early Holocene, which is directly compared with a high-resolution palaeoclimate record from neighbouring lake beds. We show that—once established—there was intensive human activity at the site for several hundred years when the community was subject to multiple, severe, abrupt climate events that impacted air temperatures, the landscape and the ecosystem of the region. However, these results show that occupation and activity at the site persisted regardless of the environmental stresses experienced by this society. The Star Carr population displayed a high level of resilience to climate change, suggesting that postglacial populations were not necessarily held hostage to the flickering switch of climate change. Instead, we show that local, intrinsic changes in the wetland environment were more significant in determining human activity than the large-scale abrupt early Holocene climate events.
dates with an array of other information to construct much more precise narratives for the structural history of the site and the cultural materials recovered from it. In this paper, we present the results of a recent attempt to construct formal models for the chronology of the wider Vinča potscape, so that we can place our now detailed understanding of changes at Belo Brdo within their contemporary contexts. We present our methodology for assessing the potential of the existing corpus of
more than 600 radiocarbon dates for refining the chronology of the five phases of Vinča ceramics proposed by Milojčić across their spatial ranges, including a total of 490 of them in a series of Bayesian chronological models. Then we outline our main results for the development of Vinča pottery. Finally, we discuss some of the major implications for our understanding of the source, character and tempo of material change.
The Sopot culture is normally regarded as a horizon with a questionable chronological position on the boundary between the Middle and Late Neolithic in western Hungary. Its role in the formation of the large-scale Lengyel complex remains controversial. Scholars can agree that it was brought to the region from the south, but there have been different views concerning the timing of its spread in the western Carpathian basin. Some have seen it as an entirely pre-Lengyel development, and others as at least partly contemporaneous with the early Lengyel culture.
Dating within the ERC-funded project, The Times of Their Lives, aimed to provide formally modelled estimates of the timing and duration of the Sopot occupation at Alsónyék, and in so doing also to contribute to better understanding of the context and development of the Sopot culture in Hungary. The paper presents 17 dates on human and animal bone (including five existing dates from burials), which are modelled in a Bayesian statistical framework. The model concentrates on the samples available from the burials, and its main element regards the burials as representing a continuous period of activity in this area of the Alsónyék complex. The model estimates that the Sopot burials probably began in
5095–5020 cal BC (68% probability), probably lasted for 220–340 years (68% probability), and probably ended in 4825–4750 cal BC (68% probability). The model also estimates a terminus ante quem for the digging of Ditch 211 of probably 4930–4870 cal BC (68%
probability).
These estimates help to inform debate about the relative sequence of cultural developments
in the region, and the relationship of Sopot communities to those of the LBK and
the Lengyel cultures. As Alsónyék is the largest currently known Sopot burial ground in
Hungary in eastern Transdanubia, this chronology is particularly valuable for modelling
cultural interactions along the Danube between the northern Balkans and the Carpathian
basin. The Sopot component also contributes significantly to the construction of a robust
chronology for the long sequence of occupations at Alsónyék.