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A Comparison of Methods Used for the Calibration of Radiocarbon Dates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

T C Aitchison ,
Morven Leese ,
D J Michczynska ,
W G Mook ,
R L Otlet ,
B S Ottaway ,
M F Pazdur ,
J Van Der Plicht ,
P J Reimer  and
S W Robinson
...Show all authors
T C Aitchison
Affiliation:
Department of Statistics, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QW, UK
Morven Leese
Affiliation:
Research Laboratory, British Museum, London, UK
D J Michczynska
Affiliation:
Radiocarbon Laboratory, Institute of Physics, Silesian Technical University, Krzywoustego 2, 44–100 Gliwice, Poland
W G Mook
Affiliation:
Centrum v Isotopen Onderzoek, Westersingel 34, 9718 CM Groningen, The Netherlands
R L Otlet
Affiliation:
Isotope Measurements Laboratory, Harwell, UK Atomic Energy Authority, Oxfordshire OX11 ORA, UK
B S Ottaway
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeological Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford, BD7 1DP, UK
M F Pazdur
Affiliation:
Radiocarbon Laboratory, Institute of Physics, Silesian Technical University, Krzywoustego 2, 44–100 Gliwice, Poland
J Van Der Plicht
Affiliation:
Centrum v Isotopen Onderzoek, Westersingel 34, 9718 CM Groningen, The Netherlands
P J Reimer
Affiliation:
Department of Geological Sciences & Quaternary Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195
S W Robinson
Affiliation:
US Geological Survey, Mail Stop 937, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, California, 94025
E M Scott
Affiliation:
Department of Statistics, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QW, UK
Minze Stuiver
Affiliation:
Radiocarbon Laboratory, Institute of Physics, Silesian Technical University, Krzywoustego 2, 44–100 Gliwice, Poland
Bernhard Weninger
Affiliation:
Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte, Universität Frankfurt, West Germany
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Abstract

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Current calibration methods for single and replicate 14C dates are compared. Various forms of tabular and graphic output are discussed. Results from all the methods show reasonable agreement but further methodological development and improvements in computer output are required. Comparison of existing techniques for a series of non-contemporaneous dates showed less agreement amongst participants on this issue. We recommend that calibrated dates should be presented as a combination of graphs and ranges, in preference to mean and standard deviation.

Type
III. Global 14C Variations
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 31 , Issue 3: June 20-25, 1988 Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia , 1989 , pp. 846 - 863
Copyright
Copyright © The American Journal of Science 

References

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