An attempt to dendrochronologically date house features at the King site (9FL5), a 16th century Late Mississippian town in northwestern Georgia,USA

The King site is a Late Mississippian (ca. 1400–1540 CE) aboriginal town located in northwestern Georgia along the Coosa River associated with the Coosa Chiefdom. The site was settled ca. 1530 but was occupied for perhaps only 50 years or so based on the lack of horizontal stratigraphy. The site was visited by members of either or both the Hernando de Soto expedition in 1540 and/or the Tristan de Luna expedition in 1560. In 1974, archaeologists discovered and removed 36 sections of subterranean charred pine posts from six house features. Our objectives were to determine if the tree rings on these posts could be dendrochronologically dated to verify the dates of site occupation and confirm the construction sequence of several houses determined originally via stratigraphic and archaeological evidence. We were able to graphically and statistically crossmatch 13 measurement series representing 10 posts from 5 of the 6 structures, yielding a 157-year floating chronology (average interseries correlation = 0.60). We were unable to absolutely crossdate this floating chronology with the only regional reference chronology long enough (back to 1378 CE) to reach the 16th century, an eastern red cedar chronology from eastern Tennessee. Archaeological evidence indicated Houses 8 and 23.4 were built later in the King site occupancy, confirmed by the tree-ring dates as both houses have the youngest tree rings of the five structures. House 14 had the oldest outermost tree rings but archaeological evidence suggests this house also was likely constructed late in the King site occupancy. We propose some posts were salvaged and reused from abandoned houses as the King site became rapidly depopulated in the last 10–20 years of site occupancy, thus explaining the age of posts used in House 14. We urge archaeologists working in the Southeastern U.S. to consider developing a more formal process for exhuming and preserving charcoalized wood remains from archaeological sites so that these samples can be evaluated using dendrochronological techniques.     

甘肃省徐家城旧石器遗址的年代

庄浪县徐家城遗址是甘肃省新发现的含丰富旧石器文化遗物的遗址,主要埋藏于水洛河第二级阶地上覆的马兰黄土中。AMS14C测年及气候事件对比相结合的综合年代研究显示, 遗址主要文化层时代集中在距今4.6~2.3万年间, 属于晚更新世晚期。遗址所在的陇西盆地发现近50处晚更新世旧石器遗址, 测年、黄土地层学等的综合年代学研究利于建立该地区晚更新世完整的年代学框架, 为我们进一步讨论晚更新世人类行为演化、人类行为与环境变化的互动等重要学术问题提供了基础。     

Bronze age dating of timber from the salt-mine at Hallstatt, Austria

The prehistoric salt mine of Hallstatt together with its burial ground is one of the most prominent archaeological sites in Austria, which has also given name for the “Hallstatt period” of human civilisation (800–400 BC). Due to the perfect conservation in rock salt a great number of organic materials have been found, among mostly wooden artefacts. Currently, the major archaeological focus is on the Bronze Age salt mining activities with excavations taking place at the historic Christian von Tusch-Werk, Alter Grubenoffen mine.

Chronology building started at the Dachstein plateau, in the vicinity of Hallstatt, where tree-trunks were discovered in an alpine lake (Schwarzer See) and after recovery a spruce-larch chronology was compiled that dates back to 1475 BC. In addition, at the bog Karmoos, very close to the mining place of Hallstatt, preserved trees were intensively sampled resulting in a spruce chronology reaching even 1523 BC.

Over 500 samples were taken at the Christian von Tusch-Werk, Alter Grubenoffen. They also included samples from the recently discovered world's oldest wooden staircase. The spectrum of wooden species encompassed Norway spruce, Silver fir, beech, European larch and maple. We were able to synchronize 128 samples, ending in a 282-year long floating chronology. While the staircase dated back to 1344 BC, the end year of the floating chronology dated even to 1245 BC. Tree felling dates showed clusters within the chronology, providing evidence for archaeologists to find construction phases and usage periods.

The Dachstein–Hallstatt spruce chronology currently holds 840 synchronized series, and includes samples from the lake at the Dachstein, from the Karmoos bog at Hallstatt, from the prehistoric Hallstatt salt mine, and from historical buildings, as well as living trees. The chronology covers the period between 1523 BC through 2004 AD.     

From Shell Midden to Midden-Mound: The Geoarchaeology of Mound Key,an Anthropogenic Island in Southwest Florida,USA

Mound Key was once the capital of the Calusa Kingdom, a large Pre-Hispanic polity that controlled much of southern Florida. Mound Key, like other archaeological sites along the southwest Gulf Coast, is a large expanse of shell and other anthropogenic sediments. The challenges that these sites pose are largely due to the size and areal extent of the deposits, some of which begin up to a meter below and exceed nine meters above modern sea levels. Additionally, the complex depositional sequences at these sites present difficulties in determining their chronology. Here, we examine the development of Mound Key as an anthropogenic island through systematic coring of the deposits, excavations, and intensive radiocarbon dating. The resulting data, which include the reversals of radiocarbon dates from cores and dates from mound-top features, lend insight into the temporality of site formation. We use these insights to discuss the nature and scale of human activities that worked to form this large island in the context of its dynamic, environmental setting. We present the case that deposits within Mound Key’s central area accumulated through complex processes that represent a diversity of human action including midden accumulation and the redeposition of older sediments as mound fill.     

First and second millennium a.d. agriculture in Rwanda: archaeobotanical finds and radiocarbon dates from seven sites

This article presents the results from a programme of bulk soil sampling and flotation of first and second millennium a.d. early farming, ‘Iron Age’, archaeological sites in Rwanda conducted in 2006–2007 alongside a new set of associated radiocarbon dates, which contribute toward the development of a chronology of plant use for the region. This research has identified the earliest examples of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), finger millet (Eleusine coracana) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) in Great Lakes Africa and thus this article also discusses the significance of these finds within the later archaeology of the region and presents a brief synthesis of the direct archaeological evidence for finger millet in sub-Saharan Africa.     

Bayesian Modeling and Chronological Precision for Polynesian Settlement of Tonga

First settlement of Polynesia, and population expansion throughout the ancestral Polynesian homeland are foundation events for global history. A precise chronology is paramount to informed archaeological interpretation of these events and their consequences. Recently applied chronometric hygiene protocols excluding radiocarbon dates on wood charcoal without species identification all but eliminates this chronology as it has been built for the Kingdom of Tonga, the initial islands to be settled in Polynesia. In this paper we re-examine and redevelop this chronology through application of Bayesian models to the questioned suite of radiocarbon dates, but also incorporating short-lived wood charcoal dates from archived samples and high precision U/Th dates on coral artifacts. These models provide generation level precision allowing us to track population migration from first Lapita occupation on the island of Tongatapu through Tonga’s central and northern island groups. They further illustrate an exceptionally short duration for the initial colonizing Lapita phase and a somewhat abrupt transition to ancestral Polynesian society as it is currently defined.     

The Early Bronze Age dendrochronology of Sovjan (Albania): A first tree-ring sequence of the 24th – 22nd c. BC for the southwestern Balkans

The archaeological site of Sovjan is situated on the edge of the Korçë Basin, southeastern Albania. Its remarkably long and well investigated stratigraphic sequence, spanning from the Neolithic till the Iron Age, makes it an important type- and reference-site for the whole region. At different periods of prehistory it was located on the shores of the former Lake Maliq that once filled the Korçë Basin, but was definitely drained in the 1940′s. These permanent wetland conditions on the site allowed for a high degree of preservation of organic material, especially wood. Based on the current knowledge, level 8 of Sovjan contains the best-preserved wooden material of all the Early Bronze Age sites in the Balkans. Through the combination of dendrochronology and Bayesian modelling, i.e. wiggle-matching, a floating 269-years long tree-ring chronology was constructed, with an absolute end-date range falling between 2158 and 2142 cal BC (2σ). It was possible to establish that the dwellings and the trackway associated with the last occupation phase of level 8 are contemporaneous. Additionally, with the help of the new dendrochronological data and based on previously published charcoal dates, the absolute chronology of the subsequent level 7 is being narrowed-down to a range from the mid-22nd to mid-20th c. cal BC (2σ). The Early Bronze Age layers of the archaeological site of Sovjan, which are particularly pertinent for the 3rd millennium chronology of the southwestern Balkans, can now be dated with high precision for the first time and hence offer a major chronological reference point in the region.     

Towards an Absolute Chronology for the Aegean Iron Age: New Radiocarbon Dates from Lefkandi,Kalapodi and Corinth

The relative chronology of the Aegean Iron Age is robust. It is based on minute stylistic changes in the Submycenaean, Protogeometric and Geometric styles and their sub-phases. Yet, the absolute chronology of the time-span between the final stages of Late Helladic IIIC in the late second millennium BCE and the archaic colonization of Italy and Sicily toward the end of the 8^th century BCE lacks archaeological contexts that can be directly related to events carrying absolute dates mentioned in Egyptian/Near Eastern historical sources, or to well-dated Egyptian/Near Eastern rulers. The small number of radiocarbon dates available for this time span is not sufficient to establish an absolute chronological sequence. Here we present a new set of short-lived radiocarbon dates from the sites of Lefkandi, Kalapodi and Corinth in Greece. We focus on the crucial transition from the Submycenaean to the Protogeometric periods. This transition is placed in the late 11^th century BCE according to the Conventional Aegean Chronology and in the late 12^th century BCE according to the High Aegean Chronology. Our results place it in the second half of the 11^th century BCE.     

Prehistoric Chronology of the Common Bean in the New World: The Linguistic Evidence

Glottochronology and the comparative method of historical linguistics provide a linguistic approach for dating the common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) that both complements and supplements archaeological dating techniques such as accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). For example, the comparative approach reveals that prehistoric languages of eastern North America having glottochronological dates earlier than 700 B.P., such as Proto-Iroquoian (2700 B.P.), lacked words for bean. Protolanguages of the region with glottochronological dates younger than 700 B.P. had bean terms. These linguistic results accord with the AMS finding that beans do not become archaeologically visible in the region until around C.E. 1300. The earliest AMS date for beans of Mesoamerica is around 2300 B.P. This date is considerably younger than glottochronological dates for prehistoric languages of the area, such as Proto-Mayan (3400 B.P.), for which bean terms are posited. Linguistic findings for protolanguages of Mesoamerica suggest that the regional bean chronology is considerably older than that indicated through archaeological dating.     

Synchronous Environmental and Cultural Change in the Emergence of Agricultural Economies 10,000 Years Ago in the Levant

The commonly held belief that the emergence and establishment of farming communities in the Levant was a smooth socio-economic continuum during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic (ca. 12,000-9,000 cal BP) with only rare minor disruptions is challenged by recently obtained evidence from this region. Using a database of archaeological radiocarbon dates and diagnostic material culture records from a series of key sites in the northern Levant we show that the hitherto apparent long-term continuity interpreted as the origins and consolidation of agricultural systems was not linear and uninterrupted. A major cultural discontinuity is observed in the archaeological record around 10,000 cal BP in synchrony with a Holocene Rapid Climate Change (RCC), a short period of climatic instability recorded in the Northern Hemisphere. This study demonstrates the interconnectedness of the first agricultural economies and the ecosystems they inhabited, and emphasizes the complex nature of human responses to environmental change during the Neolithic period in the Levant. Moreover, it provides a new environmental-cultural scenario that needs to be incorporated in the models reconstructing both the establishment of agricultural economy in southwestern Asia and the impact of environmental changes on human populations.     

Ice Ages and the mitochondrial DNA chronology of human dispersals: a review

Modern DNA, in particular maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), is now routinely used to trace ancient human migration routes and to obtain absolute dates for genetic prehistory. The errors on absolute genetic dates are often large (50% or more) and depend partly on the inherent evolutionary signal in the DNA data, and partly on our imperfect knowledge of the DNA mutation rate. Despite their imprecision, the genetic dates do provide an independent, consistent and global chronology linking living humans with their ancestors. Combining this chronology with archaeological and climatological data, most of our own mtDNA studies during the past decade strongly imply a major role for palaeoclimate in determining conditions for prehistoric migrations and demographic expansions. This paper summarizes our interpretation of the genetic findings, covering the initial and modest spread of humans within Africa more than 100 ka, the striking re-expansion within Africa 60-80 ka, leading ultimately to the out-of-Africa migration of a single, small group which settled in Australia, Eurasia and America during windows of opportunity at least partly dictated by fluctuations in sea-levels and climatic conditions.     

The initial peopling of South American Plains: An overview on Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene settlers in Uruguay

This paper reviews more than 20 years of research about the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene occupations of the Uruguayan plains. The aim of this synthesis is to provide an overview of the available information related to early human peopling of Uruguay. Here, we focus on the main issues discussed over the last two decades: early sites characterization and chronology, human response to climate change, cultural diversity, occupations patterns, mobility and technology. The systematic and continuous efforts made have provided new data and new perspectives regarding the earliest human occupations of the region. We have defined an archaeological complex landscape and ongoing research strategy is based on the three main types of site that compose it: residential camps, cave and rock shelters, and raw material sources. This has allowed us to expand and improve our understanding of the record. The new research and data provided by these sites have led us to propose a settlement model for the region and the period. A cultural diversity has been evidenced through in-depth studies of stratified archaeological sites, cultural sequence, a solid chronological database and lithic technology. Finally, we advance in the characterization of objects of social prestige among hunter-gatherers who occupied the plains during the end of the Pleistocene in Southeastern South America.     

Combined ESR/U-series chronology of Acheulian hominid-bearing layers at Trinchera Galería site,Atapuerca, Spain

The Sierra de Atapuerca, northern Spain, is known from many prehistoric and palaeontological sites documenting human prehistory in Europe. Three major sites, Gran Dolina, Galería and Sima del Elefante, range in age from the oldest hominin of Western Europe dated to 1.1 to 1.3 Ma (millions of years ago) at Sima del Elefante to c.a. 0.2 Ma on the top of the Galería archaeological sequence. Recently, a chronology based on luminescence methods (Thermoluminescence [TL] and Infrared Stimulated Luminescence [IRSL]) applied to cave sediments was published for the Gran Dolina and Galería sites. The authors proposed for Galería an age of 450 ka (thousands of years ago) for the units lower GIII and GII, suggesting that the human occupation there is younger than the hominid remains of Sima de los Huesos (>530 ka) around 1 km away.     

Timing of the Lower to Middle Paleolithic boundary: new dates from the Levant

This paper reviews the numerical dates available for the late Lower Paleolithic and early Middle Paleolithic in the Levant. We also present here new electron spin resonance dates for the late Lower Paleolithic sites of Holon, Yabrud I and Oumm Qatafa. Irrespective of dating techniques used, the ages of these sites converge on oxygen isotope stage 7 at roughly 215+/-30 ka. Similarly, dates for early Middle Paleolithic sites in the region, with the exception of Tabun, fall within oxygen isotope stage 7, suggesting a relatively rapid transition from Lower to Middle Paleolithic. In the light of these findings, the "early chronology" for the region, based on the TL dates on burned flint from Tabun, is discussed.     

Some remarks on the new radiocarbon dates from the Arene Candide Cave (Savona,Italy)

In this short note the new radiocarbon dates of some layers of the Arene Candide cave are discussed from an archaeological point of view. The new chronology resulting from these dates and its cultural implications are compared with the previous interpretations based on the old date: 10330±95 B.P.     

A critique of the chronometric evidence for hominid fossils: I. Africa and the Near East 500-50 ka

The chronometric dating evidence for all hominid fossils from Africa and the Near East that have previously been dated to 500-50 ka is critically assessed using the concept of chronometric hygiene, and these dates are revised using Bayesian statistical analyses where possible. Sixteen relevant hominid sites lacking chronometric evidence are briefly discussed. Chronometric evidence from 37 sites is assessed in detail. The dates for many hominid fossils are poorly constrained, with a number dated by comparisons of faunal assemblages-a method that does not have good chronological resolution for much of the last million years. For sites with stratigraphic sequences of dates, it is generally possible to refine the dating, but in some cases, the revised chronology is less precise than previous chronologies. Fossils over 200 ka in age tend to be poorly dated, but for the last 200 kyr, dating is better due to the availability of electron-spin-resonance and thermoluminescence dating. Consideration of the chronologies favored by the proponents of the out-of-Africa and multiregional hypotheses of human evolution shows their selectivity. The chronological assessment of the fossils here is compatible with either hypothesis. If evolutionary schemes that do not rely on the morphology of the hominid fossils to decide the sequence of fossils are to be built, then further dating is required, alongside full publication of existing dates.     

Precision dating of the Palaeolithic: a new radiocarbon chronology for the Abri Pataud (France), a key Aurignacian sequence

This paper presents a new series of AMS dates on ultrafiltered bone gelatin extracted from identified cutmarked or humanly-modified bones and teeth from the site of Abri Pataud, in the French Dordogne. The sequence of 32 new determinations provides a coherent and reliable chronology from the site’s early Upper Palaeolithic levels 5–14, excavated by Hallam Movius. The results show that there were some problems with the previous series of dates, with many underestimating the real age. The new results, when calibrated and modelled using a Bayesian statistical method, allow detailed understanding of the pace of cultural changes within the Aurignacian I and II levels of the site, something not achievable before. In the future, the sequence of dates will allow wider comparison to similarly dated contexts elsewhere in Europe. High precision dating is only possible by using large suites of AMS dates from humanly-modified material within well understood archaeological sequences modelled using a Bayesian statistical method.     

Vindija cave and the modern human peopling of Europe

Vindija cave in Croatia has yielded the youngest securely dated Neandertal skeletal remains in Central/Eastern Europe. In addition, these remains have been found in association with archaeological material exhibiting Upper Paleolithic elements. Due to its geographic location and date, the Vindija remains are particularly crucial for the understanding of initial modern human peopling of Europe and the nature of the Neandertal demise. The significance of archaeological and paleontological finds and hominin fossils from this site is discussed in the light of new finds at Vindija and recent developments in the fields of paleoanthropology and prehistoric archaeology. Furthermore, the impact of revised chronology for several crucial specimens and sites throughout Europe, including Vindija, is discussed.     

The beginnings of fruit tree cultivation in the Iberian Peninsula: plant remains from the city of Huelva (southern Spain)

The combination of an archaeobotanical analysis from two different sites in the city of Huelva (Spain) and the identification of vine fields in the same area suggests that different fruit tree species (grapevine, olive, almond and pomegranate) and vegetables such as melon were introduced into the Iberian peninsula in the transition from the 9th to the 8th century cal bc. These dates represent the earliest chronology for arboriculture within the Iberian Peninsula. The material has been preserved by waterlogging allowing the preservation of a wide variety of species which indicate the development of fruit tree cultivation. The archaeological context provides information on the connections between this innovation and the Phoenician communities that established in the region in search of metal resources. Fruit tree cultivation, and particularly wine production, had a great impact on the local agriculture which was traditionally based on the production of annual crops. The new crops soon became an essential agricultural element of the communities that lived in the south and east of the Iberian Peninsula. From the 8th century cal bc onwards, agricultural production would be mostly market oriented.     

Stratigraphic context and direct dating of the Neandertal mandible from Cova del Gegant (Sitges, Barcelona)

Stratigraphic study of the Cova del Gegant’s sedimentary fill revealed different cycles of accumulation of typical interior cave and delta facies. A precise chronology for these deposits, the faunal remains and stone tools contained therein was obtained by radiocarbon, U-Th and OSL. Our results indicate that the Upper Pleistocene archaeological sequence dates between 49.3 ± 1.8 ka BP, the U-Th age of the overlying flowstone, and 60.0 ± 3.9 ka BP, the OSL age of the basal deposits. We have also directly dated the site’s Neandertal mandible to 52.3 ± 2.3 ka by U-Th.