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Comment on Cook and Comstock's “Evaluating the Old Wood Problem in a Temperate Climate: A Fort Ancient Case Study“

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

John P. Hart  and
Kevin C. Nolan
John P. Hart
Affiliation:
Research and Collections Division, New York State Museum, 3140 Cultural Education Center, Albany, NY 12230 ([email protected])
Kevin C. Nolan
Affiliation:
Applied Anthropology Laboratories, Department of Anthropology, Burkhardt Building 314J, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306 ([email protected])
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Abstract

In their recent report, Cook and Comstock (2014) purport to address the "old wood" problem in temperate eastern North America. Here we point out several interpretive and analytical errors in their work. We conclude that careful selection of wood charcoal for radiocarbon assay can result in accurate chronology for events of interest. However, this does not obviate the need to critically assess the extant database of wood charcoal dates in any chronology building effort.

Résumé

Résumé

En un reciente informe, Cooky Comstock (2014) pretenden evaluar elproblema de la "madera antigua" en el templado oriente norteamericano. A través de este artίculo destacamos varios errores de análisis e interpretatión en su trabajo. Concluimos que una selectión cuidadosa de los carbones de leña destinados al andlisis de radiocarbonopuede generar dataciones precisas para eventos de interés. No obstante, esto no elimina la necesidad de evaluar de forma cri'tica las bases de datos disponibles para dataciones de carbones en cualquier intento de elaboration de cronologίas.

Type
Comments
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 80 , Issue 3 , July 2015 , pp. 610 - 612
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 2015

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References

References Cited

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