ABSTRACT. Based on radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) results obtained in the last 5 yr, this paper discusses the absolute chronology of the formation of one of the largest sand dunes within NW Belgium, the Great Ridge of Maldegem-Stekene. Multiproxy analysis of 6 sedimentary sequences points to a complex formation history covering the entire Late Glacial. Dry phases, characterized by eolian deflation and sedimentation, alternated with wet phases in which numerous mostly shallow dune slacks were filled with freshwater. The latter reached their highest water level during the first half of the Altered, attracting both animals (e.g. European elk) and humans (Federmesser hunter-gatherers). Near the end of the Altered, all dune slacks finally disappeared as they were filled in with windblown sand ("coversand"), likely forcing prehistoric hunter-gatherers to leave the area.
ABSTRACT. The Balearic quicklime burials of the Iron Age have been radiocarbon dated. Because the bones found are unsuitable for dating, lime was dated using the titration method, with results indicating that in some samples there is still fossil limestone carbonate present, while other samples suffered from recarbonation. Nevertheless, 14 C dates on lime and organic matter agree when both are present. The titration method allows calculating a consensus value.
INTRODUCTION Lime BurialsThe Balearic Islands (Mallorca and Menorca, Spain; see Figure 1) are the only place in the Mediterranean region where during the Iron Age people were systematically buried in quicklime (CaO). This practice was very common during the Balearic Iron Age (Stuiver and Waldren 1975; Waldren 1990, 1995), although it is still debated whether this rite started early or later in the Iron Age (Micó Pérez 2005;Micó 2006). Given that these kinds of deposits are often found in natural caves or rockshelters and thus are not very visible, some are not catalogued as archaeological sites, but the presence of about a hundred of these deposits can be estimated for Mallorca and Menorca. This burial practice lasted until the early Roman occupation, but its origin is unknown.
The Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (RICH) radiocarbon (14C) laboratory in Brussels, Belgium, has acquired experience for pretreating samples with 60 years of involvement in 14C dating, and the implementation of routine protocols. These procedures as applied to wood, seeds, charred materials, bones, ivory, textiles (silk, wool, cotton, linen), paper, shells, cremated bones, mortars, lead carbonates, sediments, etc. are described in detail in this paper. They are evaluated against reference materials.
ABSTRACT. An overview will be presented of stable isotope data (δ 13 C and δ 15 N) available from animal and human bones from Roman to post-Medieval Belgian sites. The data will be used to assess trends in the human diet and evaluate the possible impact of reservoir effects originating from the consumption of fish derived from marine or freshwater environments.Historical and archaeozoological data demonstrate drastic changes in fish consumption throughout the last 2 millennia and thus suggest that fluctuations through time of the impact of the reservoir effects can be expected. However, the present stable isotope data set does not support this suggestion.
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