THE NEED FOR A NEW APPROACH TO THE RADIOCARBON DATING OF HISTORIC MORTARS

IF 2 3区地球科学 Q2 GEOCHEMISTRY & GEOPHYSICS

Radiocarbon Pub Date : 2023-11-03 DOI:10.1017/rdc.2023.92

Giovanni Pesce

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

ABSTRACT This commentary aims at raising awareness and fostering a discussion on the need of a new approach to the radiocarbon ( 14 C) dating of historic mortars. Over the last decades, important advancements have been made in the application of the 14 C dating methods to lime mortar samples, including the use of lime lumps instead of generic pieces of mortar. However, a relevant number of results in disagreement with the chronological framework of the related archaeological cases are published every year without a clear understanding of the reasons for such results. This suggests that further developments to the methodology are needed. The commentary argues that to further develop this particular application of the 14 C dating method, a new, more holistic approach is needed that moves away from the very “applied” approach that dominated the last decades and focuses more on the causes of contamination and the mechanism of the reactions involved. Two actions are suggested that can immediately improve our ability to critically assess the results obtained: the publication of a chemical and mineralogical characterization of the binding fraction for the dated mortars, and the publication of sampling depth for each dated sample.

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需要一种新的方法来对历史上的灰浆进行放射性碳定年

这篇评论旨在提高人们的认识，并促进对历史迫击炮放射性碳(14c)定年新方法的必要性的讨论。在过去的几十年里，在将14c测年方法应用于石灰砂浆样品方面取得了重要进展，包括使用石灰块代替普通的砂浆块。然而，每年都有一些与相关考古案例的时间框架不一致的结果发表，但对这些结果的原因却没有明确的认识。这表明需要进一步发展该方法。评论认为，为了进一步发展14c定年法的这种特殊应用，需要一种新的、更全面的方法，摆脱过去几十年占主导地位的“应用”方法，更多地关注污染的原因和相关反应的机制。建议采取两项行动，可以立即提高我们对所获得的结果进行批判性评估的能力:公布定年砂浆结合分数的化学和矿物学特征，以及公布每个定年样品的采样深度。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Radiocarbon 地学-地球化学与地球物理

CiteScore

16.20

自引率

6.00%

发文量

审稿时长

6-12 weeks

期刊介绍： Radiocarbon serves as the leading international journal for technical and interpretive articles, date lists, and advancements in 14C and other radioisotopes relevant to archaeological, geophysical, oceanographic, and related dating methods. Established in 1959, it has published numerous seminal works and hosts the triennial International Radiocarbon Conference proceedings. The journal also features occasional special issues. Submissions encompass regular articles such as research reports, technical descriptions, and date lists, along with comments, letters to the editor, book reviews, and laboratory lists.