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Evaluating the Old Wood Problem in a Temperate Climate: A Fort Ancient Case Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Robert A. Cook  and
Aaron R. Comstock
Robert A. Cook
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210 ([email protected]; [email protected])
Aaron R. Comstock
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210 ([email protected]; [email protected])
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Abstract

Schiffer (1986) first identified the old wood problem for wood charcoal-based dates from archaeological contexts in the American Southwest. The potential for dates to be skewed toward excessively old calendar ages in this region has recently generated reticence in part of the archaeological community towards including wood charcoal dates in general. Some scholars have even begun to cleanse the radiocarbon databases of regions throughout North America, partly with this presumed limitation in mind. However, the issues that contribute to the old wood problem have not been closely examined outside the arid climate of the American Southwest, resulting in some studies excluding hundreds of radiocarbon dates. The present study fills that void by examining the radiocarbon record from four well-dated Fort Ancient sites in southwestern Ohio and southeastern Indiana. Specifically, we test whether or not there are significant differences between wood charcoal and non-wood charcoal assays. Our findings suggest that wood charcoal dates should not be excluded. We explore reasons for this difference in the Eastern Woodlands and propose an ideal dating regime.

Resumen

Resumen

Schiffer (1986) fue el primer investigador que notó el problema de madera vieja de las fechas de radiocarbono en los contextos arqueológicos del suroeste de Estados Unidos. Recientemente, la posibilidad de que existe un sesgo en las fechas en esta región ha generado reticencia por parte de la comunidad arqueológica de confiar en las fechas de radiocarbono con base en madera de cualquier tipo. Por esta razón, entre otras, algunos investigadores, que trabajan en varias regiones, comenzaron a depurar las bases de datos de radiocarbono a lo largo de América del Norte. Sin embargo, fuera de la zona árida del suroeste de Estados Unidos, los factores que contribuyen a fechas problemáticas por la madera vieja no han recibido mucha atención; y así algunos estudios han excluido cienes de fechas de radiocarbono potencialmente sin base. La presente investigación llena ese vacío a través de un estudio del registro de radiocarbono de cuatro sitios bien fechados de la “cultura” de Fort Ancient, ubicados en el suroeste de Ohio y el sureste de Indiana. Específicamente probamos si existen diferencias estadísticas entre los ensayos de carbón hechos con madera contra los de otros materiales orgánicos. Los resultados sugieren que las fechas basadas en madera no deben ser excluidas; por ende, exploramos las razones que sostienen esta diferencia en los bosques del este y proponemos la estrategia ideal para obtener fechas confiables.

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 79 , Issue 4 , October 2014 , pp. 763 - 775
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 2014

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