NEW RADIOCARBON ACCELERATOR DATES ON ARTEFACTS FROM THE EARLY MESOLITHIC SITE OF STAR CARR, NORTH YORKSHIRE*

Authors: DARK, P.¹; HIGHAM, T. F. G.²; JACOBI, R.³; LORD, T. C.⁴

Source: Archaeometry, Volume 48, Number 1, February 2006 , pp. 185-200(16)

Buy & download fulltext article:

Price: $48.00 plus tax (Refund Policy)

Abstract:

For the well-known early Mesolithic site of Star Carr, dating of organic artefacts by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) has been hampered by treatment of bone and antler recovered during the original excavations with preservatives. Some, untreated, artefacts were, however, collected after Clark's excavation in 1950. Four of these artefacts were AMS dated in 1995, but two of the dates were significantly younger than the others, and were questionable due to their low collagen yields. These suspect samples have now been re-analysed, demonstrating that all four artefacts are of similar date. The significance of these dates for the chronology of Star Carr is discussed.

Keywords: STAR CARR; AMS RADIOCARBON DATING; BARBED ANTLER POINTS; EARLY MESOLITHIC

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4754.2006.00250.x

Affiliations: 1: Department of Archaeology, University of Reading, Whiteknights, P.O. Box 227, Reading RG6 6AB, UK 2: Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, 6 Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3QJ, UK 3: Department of Palaeontology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK 4: Lower Winskill, Langcliffe, Near Settle, North Yorkshire BD24 9PZ, UK

Publication date: 2006-02-01