Radiocarbon vs. Luminescence Dating of Archaeological Ceramics in the Southern Andes: A Review of Paired Dates, Bayesian Models, and a Pilot Study (original) (raw)
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Latin American Antiquity, 2014
The Dawson seriation of Nasca ceramics has long been assumed to be an accurate marker of temporal changes in the prehispanic south coast of Peru. We test this assumption by directly dating a sample of sherds using Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL). Our results suggest that while some phases of the seriation are valid chronological markers, others appear to be the result of other factors aside from time. We discuss the implications of these results and call for additional studies of ceramics using luminescence dating. Los arqueólogos han asumido que la seriación de Dawson sobre la cerámica Nasca es un marcador preciso que registra cambios temporales en la costa sur del Perú prehispánico. Comprobamos esta asunción usando Luminiscencia Ópticamente Estimulada que fechó una muestra de 50 tiestos de cerámica provenientes de sitios ubicados en la región sur de Nasca. Nuestros resultados indican que algunas fases de la seriación Dawson son marcadores válidos de cronología, pero otros parecen ser el resultado de otros factores además del tiempo. En este trabajo discutimos las implicancias de estos resultados y sugerimos que son necesarios más estudios de cerámica usando fechados de luminiscencia.
Thermoluminescence (TL) and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating are two important techniques for dating archaeological and geological material, especially suitable for archaeological ceramics, where samples for 14C dating are not available. In this work, five pottery shards from Osvaldo and Lago Grande archaeological sites were dated by OSL. For measurements, it was used the SAR protocol. The annual dose rates were estimated by the contents of U, Th and K, determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) of the pottery shards and clay samples near both sites. Lago Grande and Osvaldo represent a microcosm of the region, and their proximity and high density of archaeological record turn them interesting to study possible relations of cultural and/or commercial exchange. Calculations showed that the water content is an important variable that cannot be neglected in OSL dating of pottery shards from central Amazon, due to the high humidity in regional soils. The results between 867 ± 101 and 1154 ± 62 years AD agreed with the average time span for the archaeological sites occupation found in the literature.
Radiocarbon, 2014
This study argues that to properly set the duration of a particular pottery style using radiocarbon it is necessary to have a long series of data, but also to critically evaluate its reliability. This study presents a methodological strategy to establish the temporal position of the Famabalasto Negro Grabado (Famabalasto Black Incised) pottery style, which has a problematic chronological allocation in northwest Argentine archaeology. This article considers as a starting point the different hypotheses referring to the chronology of this ceramic style. All available 14C dates and the information of the archaeological contexts were used to evaluate the different degrees of certainty in the sample-event association and differentiate the association degrees among the dated events and the set of recovered ceramics. For this, a quadripartite scale of date-pottery association is proposed. This treatment of the information allows to rank the more reliable data. Anomalous data are detected an...
This study argues that to properly set the duration of a particular pottery style using radiocarbon it is necessary to have a long series of data, but also to critically evaluate its reliability. This study presents a methodological strategy to establish the temporal position of the Famabalasto Negro Grabado (Famabalasto Black Incised) pottery style, which has a problematic chronological allocation in northwest Argentine archaeology. This article considers as a starting point the different hypotheses referring to the chronology of this ceramic style. All available 14C dates and the information of the archaeological contexts were used to evaluate the different degrees of certainty in the sample-event association and differentiate the association degrees among the dated events and the set of recovered ceramics. For this, a quadripartite scale of date-pottery association is proposed. This treatment of the information allows to rank the more reliable data. Anomalous data are detected and discussed, and as a result, the period of production of this style at a regional level can be dated to the early 14th century and mid-16th/early 17th century. This analysis presents a methodology that can be applied to different archaeological situations.
Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, 2008
Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) is applied to quartz extracted from mud mortar collected from Chavín de Huántar, an early Andean monumental center. The samples appear to have been only partially exposed to sunlight during construction, so a minimum age model is applied to equivalent dose distributions. Complications, including complex radioactivity, low sensitivity of the quartz, and limited sample, prevent high precision, but the 14 dates obtained cluster around 1000 BC largely in agreement with radiocarbon assays on charcoal also collected from the mortar. Results suggest a relatively rapid construction for the monument. This work develops OSL as a method for directly dating architectural mortar.
Radiocarbon Dates And Anthropogenic Signal In The Southcentral Andes (12500-600 Cal. Years Bp)
Abstract This paper presents the analysis of the anthropogenic signal documented by four time-series in the highlands of the South-Central Andes (Puna of Argentina and North Chile) spanning the period between 12,500 and 600 cal years BP. Our goal is to extract demographic and occupational histories from temporal data. In this way, based upon the full radiocarbon dataset and the sites of provenance of the dates, we built the following time-series: the summed probability distribution of calibrated ages; the relative frequency of calibrated ages; the relative frequency of sites per unit of time; and the frequency of new sites per unit of time. For controlling the effects of site destruction on the anthropogenic signal, we used the exponential model as well as the volcanic empirical model of taphonomic bias. The four time-series coincide in showing a regional pattern with a phase of low and fluctuating demography of relative long term duration, followed by an growth phase well evident at 5000 cal BP in a context the economic intensification. The long-term demographic success of the hunter-gatherers in the highlands many millennia before the consolidation of food production exemplifies the flexibility of this mode of subsistence for achieving human adaptation to extreme selective environments as the Puna.
Latin American Antiquity, 2019
The Late Formative period immediately precedes the emergence of Tiwanaku, one of the earliest South American states, yet it is one of the most poorly understood periods in the southern Lake Titicaca Basin (Bolivia). In this article, we refine the ceramic chronology of this period with large sets of dates from eight sites, focusing on temporal inflection points in decorated ceramic styles. These points, estimated here by Bayesian models, index specific moments of change: (1) cal AD 120 (60-170, 95% probability): the first deposition of Kalasasaya red-rimmed and zonally incised styles; (2) cal AD 240 (190-340, 95% probability): a tentative estimate of the final deposition of Kalasasaya zonally incised vessels; (3) cal AD 420 (380-470, 95% probability): the final deposition of Kalasasaya red-rimmed vessels; and (4) cal AD 590 (500-660, 95% probability): the first deposition of Tiwanaku Redwares. These four modeled boundaries anchor an updated Late Formative chronology, which includes the Initial Late Formative phase, a newly identified decorative hiatus between the Middle and Late Formative periods. The models place Qeya and transitional vessels between inflection points 3 and 4 based on regionally consistent stratigraphic sequences. This more precise chronology will enable researchers to explore the trajectories of other contemporary shifts during this crucial period in Lake Titicaca Basin's prehistory. El período Formativo tardío precede inmediatamente a la emergencia de Tiwanaku, uno de los estados más antiguos de Sudamé-rica, sin embargo, es una de las épocas menos comprendidas de la cuenca sur del Lago Titicaca (Bolivia). En este trabajo refinamos la cronología cerámica de este período con amplios conjuntos de fechados de ocho sitios y nos enfocamos en los puntos de inflexión temporales de los estilos de cerámica decorada. Estos puntos, estimados con modelos de Bayes, marcan momentos de cambio espe-cíficos: (1) 120 cal dC (60-170, 95% probabilidad): primera deposición de estilos Kalasasaya de borde rojo e inciso sectorizado; (2) 240 cal dC (190-340, 95% probabilidad): una estimación tentativa de la deposición final de vasijas de Kalasasaya inciso sector-izado; (3) 420 cal dC (380-470, 95% probabilidad): deposición final de vasijas de Kalasasaya de borde rojo; y (4) 590 cal DC (500-660, 95% probabilidad): primera deposición de los "redwares" tiwanacotos. Estos cuatro límites modelados anclan una cronología actualizada del Formativo tardío que incluye la fase del Formativo tardío inicial, un hiato decorativo identificado recientemente entre los períodos del Formativo medio y tardío. Estos modelos ubican a Qeya y a las vasijas transicionales entre los puntos de inflexión 3 y 4 a partir de secuencias estratigráficas consistentes regionalmente. Esta cronología más precisa permitirá a los inves-tigadores explorar las trayectorias de otros cambios contemporáneos durante este período crucial en la prehistoria de la cuenca del Lago Titicaca. Palabras clave: cuenca del Lago Titicaca, período Formativo Tardío, modelos bayesianos, secuencia de cerámica decorada, puntos de inflexión temporales