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Dating Grimes Graves

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Janet Ambers
Janet Ambers*
Affiliation:
Department of Scientific Research, The British Museum, London WC1B 3DG, United Kingdom
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Abstract

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More radiocarbon analyses have been produced for the Neolithic flint mines of Grimes Graves than for any other site with which the British Museum's Radiocarbon Laboratory has been involved. Despite this heavy concentration of effort, a recent review of these figures concluded that poor sample selection, combined with a lack of sufficient quality assurance procedures, severely limit the use that can be made of this database. To overcome these difficulties, a redating program has been undertaken using a carefully selected subset of the original material. In this paper I discuss the flaws in the original data set, due to both technical and sampling problems; set out ways to avoid similar problems in the future, with particular reference to quality assurance; and discuss the new results and their archaeological implications.

Type
Part 2: Applications
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 40 , Issue 2: 16th International Radiocarbon Conference June 16-20, 1997 Part 2: Applications, Conference Editors: Willem G. Mook Johannes van der Plicht , 1997 , pp. 591 - 600
Copyright
Copyright © The American Journal of Science 

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