Kategoria: News

New Publication Utilizes μDose Measurements to Study Archaeological Site in Idaho

Researchers have published preliminary findings from their reinvestigation of the Kelly Forks Work Center Site (10CW34), an archaeological site located on the North Fork Clearwater River in the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest, Idaho. The site, which dates back to the late Pleistocene to late Holocene period, was previously thought to contain components associated with the Western Stemmed Tradition.

The researchers utilized μDose for assessing dose rates for trapped charge dating. This allowed to assess the stratigraphy and geochronology of the site, as well as to study traditional Nez Perce use of the Clearwater River drainage. Their findings provide new insights into the site’s history and cultural significance.

Further research is needed to fully uncover the site’s potential and deepen our understanding of the region’s prehistoric human activity.

Justin A. Holcomb, Aayush Srivastava, Timothy C. Kinnaird & John C. Blong (2023) Revisiting Kelly Forks (10CW34): Current and Future Research at a Western Stemmed Tradition Occupation in the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest, Idaho, USA, PaleoAmerica, 9:1, 76-80, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/20555563.2023.2171745

New Interdisciplinary Study Uncovers Prehistoric Rural Settlement and Landscape Development in Northern Bavaria

A new interdisciplinary study on rural settlement and landscape development in northern Bavaria, Germany has been published. The study involved archaeological and geoarchaeological investigations supported by radiocarbon dating, optically stimulated luminescence dating (OSL), and palaeoecological analysis. The researchers aimed to identify unknown prehistoric rural settlement sites, determine site-specific soil erosion from colluvial deposits, and assess the composition of woodland from on- and offsite charcoal finds.

The earliest evidence of human activities dates back to the Younger Neolithic period, while the Middle to Late Bronze Age (ca. 1400–800 B.C.E.) was marked by permanent rural settlement in a German central upland region. The researchers noted a peak in the Late Bronze Age, which they attributed to varying thicknesses of Bronze Age colluvial deposits, indicating land use practices that triggered soil erosion. The study also showed that Maloideae, ash, and birch were successional indicators after fire clearance during that period.

The settlement continued until the 5th century B.C.E, with a hiatus of 500 years before re-flourishing in the Late Roman and Migration periods (mid-3rd–5th century C.E.) and continuing into the Medieval period.

The study provides valuable insights into the prehistoric rural settlement and landscape development in northern Bavaria, and highlights the potential of OSL method with μDose measurements in archaeological research.

Kothieringer K., Seregély T., Jansen D., Steup R., Schäfer A., Lambers K., & Fuchs M. (2023). Mid- to Late Holocene landscape dynamics and rural settlement in the uplands of northern Bavaria, Germany. Geoarcheology, 38, 220– 245. https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.21952

New Study Provides Absolute Dates for Artifacts from Lusatian Urnfield Cemetery at Brzezie, Greater Poland

Archaeologists have made a step toward uncovering the history of the Lusatian Urnfield Cemetery at Brzezie in the Pleszew region of Greater Poland. After many years of fieldwork, including geophysical prospecting and excavation, materials for radiocarbon and luminescence dating were collected to determine the absolute chronology of the site.

In a study four samples were dated using OSL. The luminescence dating was made possible by measuring the dose rates in small archaeological samples using the innovative uDOSE system. The results reveal an agreement between radiocarbon and OSL dating methods, providing a date range of 1000-500 BC.

This new study provides valuable insights into the history of the Lusatian Urnfield Cemetery at Brzezie and the uDOSE system helped to provide a more accurate estimate of the dose rates for OSL dating.

Ginter, A.; Moska, P.; Poręba, G.; Tudyka, K.; Szymak, A.; Szczurek, G. Absolute Dates of Artifacts from Lusatian Urnfield Cemetery at Brzezie, Greater Poland. Radiocarbon 2022, 64 (6), 1471–1482. https://doi.org/10.1017/RDC.2022.70

Study Examines Impact of Internal Dose Rates on Luminescence Dating Results in Quartz Grains with uDOSE System

A new study (Szymak et al., 2022) has examined the impact of internal alpha and beta dose rates in quartz grains obtained from sandy sediments on the results of luminescence dating. The internal dose rates, which range from 0.01-0.21 Gy/ky, play a non-negligible role in determining the accuracy of luminescence dating results, especially when the external dose rates are low.

To measure the internal and external dose rates in quartz grains, the researchers used the innovative uDOSE system. The findings of the study showed that ignoring the contribution of the internal dose rates could result in artificially older luminescence ages.

Szymak, Agnieszka, Moska, Piotr, Poręba, Grzegorz, Tudyka, Konrad and Adamiec, Grzegorz. „The Internal Dose Rate in Quartz Grains: Experimental Data and Consequences for Luminescence Dating” Geochronometria, vol.49, no.1, 2022, pp.9-17. https://doi.org/10.2478/geochr-2022-0002

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Described in Archaeometry https://doi.org/10.1111/arcm.12828