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Cuello: Resolving the Chronology Through Direct Dating of Conserved and Low-Collagen Bone by AMS1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

I. A. Law ,
R. A. Housley ,
Norman Hammond  and
R. E. M. Hedges
I. A. Law
Affiliation:
Callanish Ltd., Breasclete, Isle of Lewis, UK
R. A. Housley
Affiliation:
Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, 6, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3QJ UK
Norman Hammond
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, Boston University, 675 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215 USA
R. E. M. Hedges
Affiliation:
Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, 6, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3QJ UK
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Abstract

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It is well known that 14C dating of fossil bone with seriously depleted protein levels, or bone that has been consolidated with preservatives, can produce erroneous results. In the tropics, warm and moist soil conditions lead to constant reworking of organic matter and add to the danger of bone contamination. Because of this, 14C dating of preservative-impregnated bone from such areas has rarely been successful. We report here a set of AMS dates on both unconsolidated animal bone and polyvinyl acetate/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA/PV-OH) impregnated human burials from the Maya site of Cuello, Belize. The steps needed to purify the samples are described, together with details on the use of qualitative infra-red (IR) spectra as a means of assessing sample purity.

Type
Articles
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 33 , Issue 3 , 1991 , pp. 303 - 315
Copyright
Copyright © The American Journal of Science 

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