Resolving Patterns in Radiocarbon Data

Summary

Radiocarbon is one of the most widely used chronological tools in archaeology but resolving patterns in large datasets is still difficult to achieve. This is partly due to the calibration process which itself generates patterns reflecting the changes in the radiocarbon levels within the environment. In addition, in many cases, the difficulty in obtaining sufficient numbers of measurements to draw definitive conclusions can be an issue and there is always the danger of over-interpretation.

Bayesian analysis has been very powerfully used to resolve chronology in deeply stratified single sites but cannot be used in many types of archaeological research. Kernel density methods have the potential to explore less structured distributions of dates to reveal both temporal and geographical patterns. Critically they can also help to evaluate whether the datasets are large enough to answer specific questions. This paper will draw on a number of case studies with a particular focus on data on hunter-gatherers in the Baikal region.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Investigating the Hunter-Gatherers of Lake Baikal and Hokkaido: Integrating Individual Life Histories and High-Resolution Chronologies   •
• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 17061