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The chronology of culture: a comparative assessment of European Neolithic dating approaches

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 January 2015

Katie Manning ,
Adrian Timpson ,
Sue Colledge ,
Enrico Crema ,
Kevan Edinborough ,
Tim Kerig  and
Stephen Shennan
Katie Manning*
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, University College London, 31–34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY, UK
Adrian Timpson
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, University College London, 31–34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY, UK Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Darwin Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
Sue Colledge
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, University College London, 31–34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY, UK
Enrico Crema
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, University College London, 31–34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY, UK
Kevan Edinborough
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, University College London, 31–34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY, UK
Tim Kerig
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, University College London, 31–34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY, UK
Stephen Shennan
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, University College London, 31–34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY, UK
*
Author for correspondence (Email: [email protected])
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Abstract

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Archaeologists have long sought appropriate ways to describe the duration and floruit of archaeological cultures in statistical terms. Thus far, chronological reasoning has been largely reliant on typological sequences. Using summed probability distributions, the authors here compare radiocarbon dates for a series of European Neolithic cultures with their generally accepted ‘standard’ date ranges and with the greater precision afforded by dendrochronology, where that is available. The resulting analysis gives a new and more accurate description of the duration and intensity of European Neolithic cultures.

Keywords

Neolithicculturechronologiesdendrochronologyradiocarbon datingBayesian analysis
Type
Research
Information
Antiquity , Volume 88 , Issue 342 , December 2014 , pp. 1065 - 1080
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
The online version of this article is published within an Open Access environment subject to the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution licence ;.
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd.

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