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Organic Matter of Cultural Layers as a Material for Radiocarbon Dating

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 December 2017

E Zazovskaya ,
V Shishkov ,
A Dolgikh ,
A Alexndrovskiy ,
V Skripkin  and
O Chichagova
E Zazovskaya*
Affiliation:
Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Laboratory of Radiocarbon Dating & Electronic Microscopy, Department of Soil Geography & Evolution, Moscow, Russia
V Shishkov
Affiliation:
Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Laboratory of Radiocarbon Dating & Electronic Microscopy, Department of Soil Geography & Evolution, Moscow, Russia
A Dolgikh
Affiliation:
Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Laboratory of Radiocarbon Dating & Electronic Microscopy, Department of Soil Geography & Evolution, Moscow, Russia The Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, Department of Science and Innovation Policy, Moscow, Russia
A Alexndrovskiy
Affiliation:
Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Laboratory of Radiocarbon Dating & Electronic Microscopy, Department of Soil Geography & Evolution, Moscow, Russia
V Skripkin
Affiliation:
Institute of Environmental Geochemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Department of Nuclear Geochemistry and Сhemical Сosmology, Kiev, Ukraine
O Chichagova
Affiliation:
Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Laboratory of Radiocarbon Dating & Electronic Microscopy, Department of Soil Geography & Evolution, Moscow, Russia
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected].
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Abstract

This article focuses on radiocarbon (14C) dating of the organic matter (OM) of natural-anthropogenic objects—the cultural layers (CLs) of archaeological sites. Using examples from three ancient sites located within the European part of Russia, in southern taiga and forest-steppe natural zones, we demonstrate approaches to the interpretation of 14C dating of OM derived from the organomineral material of the CLs studied. We use the term “archaeological humus” as defined as the OM formed within the CL from “anthropogenic matter” (i.e., organic residues that were produced during the past human occupation of the site) without or with negligible contribution of OM inherited from pre-anthropogenic stages of pedogenesis. The archaeological humus is formed within closed or semi-closed systems by the processes of humification and physical stabilization of OM. The use of hierarchical (from macro- to submicro-) morphological investigations at one of the sites (Gnezdovo) combined with 14C dating allowed conclusions to be drawn about the age of formation of different OM components in CLs.

Keywords

archeological humuscultural layerhabitation depositshierarchical morphological investigationsradiocarbon datingsoil organic matter
Type
Method Development
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 59 , Special Issue 6: 8th International Symposium, Edinburgh, 27 June – 1 July, 2016 Part 2 of 2 , December 2017 , pp. 1931 - 1944
Copyright
© 2017 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

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Footnotes

Selected Papers from the 8th Radiocarbon & Archaeology Symposium, Edinburgh, UK, 27 June–1 July 2016.

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