Comparative study of luminescence dating of pottery and sediments from the Holocene Zhuqiusi site in Central China

IF 2.5 1区地球科学 Q1 ANTHROPOLOGY

Journal of Archaeological Science Pub Date : 2025-05-24 DOI:10.1016/j.jas.2025.106270

Chun-Xin Wang , Lingling Shi , Yanpeng Cao , Lixia Fang

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating has emerged as a robust protocol for establishing a chronological framework for archaeological sites, particularly due to the ubiquity of pottery and stratigraphic deposits, which offer useable dating materials. Despite its effectiveness, this method encounters challenges in dating young archaeological sites in the Holocene period, such as stratigraphic disturbances, insufficient bleach, and residual doses from infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) of potassium-rich feldspar (K-feldspar), which compromise the accuracy of the dating results. To address the challenges of optical dating in young archaeological sites and to demonstrate its accuracy, this study applies diverse luminescence dating techniques at the Holocene archaeological site of Zhuqiusi in the Central Plains of China, with a specific focus on accurately dating pottery and sediment samples. For fine-grain (FG) quartz samples from pottery, single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) OSL dating and multiple-aliquot additive-dose (MAAD) thermoluminescence (TL) dating methods were used. For coarse-grain quartz and K-feldspar from sediments, the SAR-based OSL method was used for quartz and the multiple-elevated-temperature post-infrared IRSL (MET-pIRIR) method was used for K-feldspar; in both cases, multi-grain (MG) or single-grain (SG) measurement protocols were adopted to investigate the effect of bleaching on dating. The results showed that the quartz OSL and TL ages of pottery samples were consistent, while sediment quartz and K-feldspar showed varying degrees of insufficient bleaching, leading to significant age differences. For such samples, single-grain dating methods must be used to obtain accurate luminescence ages. Ultimately, the Zhuqiusi site was dated to two occupation stages: the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (2.14–2.82 ka) and the late Longshan period (3.90–4.27 ka), consistent with radiocarbon ages within the error range. The comparative study of luminescence dating in pottery and sediment provides a valuable guide to selecting dating methods for Holocene archaeological sites.

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中原全新世朱秋寺遗址陶器与沉积物的发光测年比较研究

光激发发光（OSL）测年已经成为一种强有力的协议，用于建立考古遗址的年代框架，特别是由于陶器和地层沉积物无处不在，它们提供了可用的测年材料。尽管该方法有效，但在对全新世时期的年轻考古遗址进行测年时遇到了挑战，如地层扰动、漂白不足以及富钾长石（k -长石）的红外激发发光（IRSL）残留剂量，这些都影响了测年结果的准确性。为了解决光学测年在年轻考古遗址中所面临的挑战，并证明其准确性，本研究在中国中原朱秋寺全新世考古遗址中应用了多种发光测年技术，特别关注陶器和沉积物样本的准确测年。采用单组分再生剂量（SAR）定年法和多组分添加剂量（MAAD）热释光（TL）定年法对陶瓷细粒石英样品进行了测定。对于沉积物中粗粒石英和钾长石，石英采用基于sar的OSL方法，钾长石采用多次高温后红外IRSL （MET-pIRIR）方法；在这两种情况下，采用多粒（MG）或单粒（SG）测量方案来研究漂白对定年的影响。结果表明，陶器样品的石英OSL和TL年龄一致，而沉积物石英和钾长石则表现出不同程度的漂白不足，导致年龄差异显著。对于这样的样品，必须使用单粒定年法来获得准确的发光年龄。结果表明，朱丘寺遗址可划分为东周（2.14 ~ 2.82 ka）和龙山晚期（3.90 ~ 4.27 ka）两个时期，与放射性碳年龄在误差范围内一致。陶瓷和沉积物的发光测年对比研究为全新世考古遗址的测年方法选择提供了有价值的指导。

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来源期刊

Journal of Archaeological Science 地学-地球科学综合

CiteScore

6.10

自引率

7.10%

发文量

112

审稿时长

49 days

期刊介绍： The Journal of Archaeological Science is aimed at archaeologists and scientists with particular interests in advancing the development and application of scientific techniques and methodologies to all areas of archaeology. This established monthly journal publishes focus articles, original research papers and major review articles, of wide archaeological significance. The journal provides an international forum for archaeologists and scientists from widely different scientific backgrounds who share a common interest in developing and applying scientific methods to inform major debates through improving the quality and reliability of scientific information derived from archaeological research.