Radiocarbon Dating of Ancient Rock Paintings
Texas A&M University College Station and Qatar A technique based on cold argon and oxygen plasmas permits radiocarbon dates to be obtained on paintings that contain inorganic pigments. (To listen to a podcast about this feature, please go to the Analytical Chemistry website at http://pubs.acs.org/journal/ancham.) Rock art images are among the most enigmatic and personal […]
RADIOCARBON AGE DETERMINATION OF A ROCK PAINTING AT ARNOLD/TAINTER CAVE, WISCONSI
A sample from a charcoal rock painting at the Arnold/Tainter Cave site (47Cr560) was radiocarbon dated, providing the first direct age determination for a pictograph in Wis consin. The sample was pretreated with HCl and NaOH before organic carbon was extracted using an oxygen plasma. The painting, of a creature resembling a caribou because of […]
Application of supercritical carbon dioxide–co-solvent mixtures for removal of organic material from archeological artifacts for radiocarbon dating
Archeological artifacts such as burial and embalmment materials are commonly dated by 14C labeling using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). The presence of contaminant organic matter can interfere with the accurate determination of an object’s age, hence sample preparation is a critical step before radiocarbon-based dating. Both harsh acid and base treatments have been applied to […]
Comment on “some evidence of a date of first humans to arrive in Brazil”
Watanabe et al. [14] reported exciting thermoluminescence (TL) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) dates on a calcite layer deposited over a red pictograph at the Toca da Bastiana rock shelter within the Serra da Capivara National Park in Piaui, Brazil. The ages determined for the calcite, if substantiated, would provide striking proof of human occupation […]
Calcium oxalate AMS 14C dating and chronology of post-Palaeolithic rock paintings in the Iberian Peninsula. Two dates from Abrigo de los Oculados (Henarejos, Cuenca, Spain)
The chronology of open-air rock paintings in the Iberian Peninsula is still subject to scientific debate due to a paucity of direct radiocarbon dates. Rock paintings in this region include at least three different styles of art: Levantine, Schematic, and Macroschematic (Fig. 1). These traditions, especially Levantine art, possess an iconographic richness useful in elucidating […]
Lower Pecos and Coahuila peyote: new radiocarbon dates
The ceremonial and medicinal use of peyote (Lophophora Williams) by Native Americans in recent history has been described in numerous publications (e.g., [22,23]). We present new radiocarbon dates on three peyote specimens excavated from Shumla Caves in the Lower Pecos region of southwest Texas, placing the cultural association of peyote at 5200 14C years BP. […]
Oxygen isotopes in separated components of CI and CM meteorites
THE TYPE 1 AND TYPE 2 carbonaceous chondrites (CI 1 and CM2) are among the most primitive meteorites, particularly in regard to their bulk chemical compositions, which are very similar to solar values for nonvolatile elements (ANDERS and GREVESSE, 1989). Nevertheless, mineralogical and textural evidence show that these meteorites have undergone considerable processing on their […]
MASS SPECTROMETRIC RADIOCARBON DATES FROM THREE ROCK PAINTINGS OF KNOWN AGE
The dating of rock art has been a major archaeological problem because, until recently, the art could not be directly dated, and clear associations with dateable archaeological contexts are rare. The introduction of accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) for radiocarbon analysis greatly reduced the amount of carbon necessary for an age estimate so that even small […]
SOURI PICTOGRAPHS AND THEIR ASSOCIATED ICONOGRAPHY Carol Diaz-Granados
After completing the study of 134 rock art sites in the state, Diaz-Granados concluded that AMS radiocarbon dates were needed to place at least a selection of the rock art sites on a more secure chronological footing. Mississippian iconography in the Southeast has been discussed by several scholars (e.g., Brown 1989; Griffin 1952; Hall 1989; […]
NONDESTRUCTIVE RADIOCARBON DATING: NATURALLY MUMMIFIED INFANT BUNDLE FROM SW TEXAS
When an archaeological sample is radiocarbon dated, it typically undergoes three separate steps: (1) chemical pretreatment to remove contamination or isolation of sample-specific chemical compounds, (2) conversion to a measurable form, and (3) measurement of 14C to determine the age. This current study demonstrates that step 2, conversion to a measurable form, is a virtually […]
