ABSTRACT. In this paper, we present an overview of radiocarbon dating contributions from Groningen, concerning 9 sites from around the Mediterranean region: Israel, Sinai (Egypt), Jordan, Spain, Tunisia, and Italy. Full date lists of the 9 sites are presented. Our 14 C dates are discussed in terms of present actual chronological debates. We show that all our 14 C dates coherently support a "high chronology" for the Iron Age in each respective area of the Mediterranean region.

ABSTRACT. This article is a reply to the preceding rejoinder by Fantalkin et al., which they wrote in response to our article concerning radiocarbon dates of Iron Age sites in the Mediterranean region measured at Groningen (van der Plicht et al. 2009). We do not agree with much of their criticism. Our reply is presented in detail with new viewpoints and evaluations concerning a number of sites in the Levant, including Tel Dan, Megiddo Stratum VIA (= K/4), Horvat Haluqim, Tell el-Qudeirat, Khirbet en-Nahas, Tel Rehov, as well as sites in the central and western Mediterranean region, particularly Carthage and Huelva. Our main conclusions are that 14 C dating supports an Iron Age High Chronology for the above sites, though more 14 C dating is required, particularly in Greece and the central and western Mediterranean region, to substantiate and refine the current state of knowledge. We prefer detailed investigations per individual site, evaluating both 14 C dates and site stratigraphy, rather than the wholesale averaging of strata over many sites, which may lead to oversimplification and erroneous results, also on stratigraphic grounds. Contrary to Fantalkin et al. (2011), we emphasize the importance of 14 C dating as an independent methodology-chronostratigraphy-to evaluate site stratigraphy. The 14 C dates of Megiddo Stratum VIA (=K/4) clearly indicate field-stratigraphic problems at this site.

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In this paper Neutron Resonance Capture Analysis (NRCA) will be discussed. It is a new method for studying the elemental composition of materials and objects. Neutron resonances in the range from 1 eV to 10 keV are used as "fingerprints" for identifying elements. NRCA is demonsa'ated on two bronze artefacts, i) a tim fragment of a vessel (cauldron) excavated in Satr/cum, Italy (60 km south of Rome), and ii) a hand holding an offering bowl (patera) of an Etruscan statuette. NRCA determines the bulk composition and is fully non-deslructive. The induced radioactivity of the studied objects was very low and disappeared quickly.