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Radiocarbon Dates of the Earliest Neolithic in Central Europe

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Harald Stäuble*
Affiliation:
Seminar für Vor- und Frühgeschichte, J. W. Goethe-Universität, Arndtstrasse 11, D-60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Abstract

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I discuss here a series of radiocarbon dates from sites of the earliest phase of the Linearbandkeramik (LBK) culture. The samples were collected during excavations directed by Prof. Jens Lüning (Frankfurt am Main) between 1979 and 1987. The samples were mainly charcoal, including cereals and food remains, but bones and potsherds containing organic temper were also included in the study. Although the results on cereal, bone and food remains were consistent, almost all differed from those measured on charred wood. From a series of dates measured by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) on organic temper in potsherds, variable amounts of sample contamination were observed, probably deriving from the natural organic components of the clay used in the ceramic production. By critically evaluating 14C dates, individual activities on the sites were dated as accurately as possible. A chronological framework could then be established for the earliest phase of the LBK culture. The dating results provided information on taphonomic processes.

Type
II. 14C in Archaeology
Copyright
Copyright © the Department of Geosciences, The University of Arizona 

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