‘Absolute’ dating of Mesolithic human activity at Star Carr, Yorkshire: new palaeoecological studies and identification of the 9600 bp radiocarbon ‘plateau’

Abstract

The existence of a ‘radiocarbon plateau’ at 9600 BP causes problems for early Mesolithic archaeology and palaeoecology, since events separated by up to 400 calendar years are not distinguished by radiocarbon dating. A new sequence of closely spaced radiocarbon accelerator dates from waterlogged deposits at the early Mesolithic site at Star Carr, Yorkshire, has enabled recognition of this plateau. It has been possible to ‘wiggle-match’ these Star Carr dates to the recently produced dendrochronological calibration curve for the early post-glacial period, providing an ‘absolute’ chronology for formation of the deposits. Associated high resolution palaeoecological analyses indicate two local phases of human activity, the lengths of which can be estimated from the calibrated time-scale. As far as we are aware, this is the first time that it has been possible to provide ‘absolute’ dates for human activity at an early Mesolithic site in Europe.

Dogs, Deer and Diet at Star Carr: a Reconsideration of C-isotope Evidence from Early Mesolithic Dog Remains from the Vale of Pickering, Yorkshire, England

“…Twelve samples of plant remains were submitted to the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit for dating by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) (Day & Mellars, 1994), during the course of which 13 C determinations were also made; for methods used by the Unit see Hedges et al (1989;1992). The material submitted included charcoal, wood, reed (Phragmites australis) fragments, and fruits and bud-and catkinscales of birch (Betula sp.)…”

“…Day & Mellars (1994) for lake-edge deposits and Day (1996) Dates are in uncalibrated radiocarbon years BP (before present- 1950) using the half-life of 5568 years. Errors are quoted at one standard deviation.…”

“…These were interpreted as reflecting a short-lived occupation during the autumn and winter months, a view which has been criticised on several grounds. Re-examination of the faunal remains has provided evidence for summer occupation (Legge & Rowley-Conwy, 1988), while new research on both micro-and macroscopic plant remains from the site suggests the possibility of year-round activity (Day, forthcoming), probably over a period of decades (Day & Mellars, 1994).…”

“…These have accompanied detailed palaeoecological analyses of the deposits designed to shed light on the nature of occupation at Star Carr (Day, 1993;Day & Mellars, 1994;Day, 1996, forthcoming).…”

Early Holocene environmental change, the presence and disappearance of early Mesolithic habitation near Zutphen (The Netherlands)

“…To assess the effect of human activity on the environment, high-resolution studies (e.g. Simmons 1993;Hicks 1993;Day 1993;Day and Mellars 1994;Simmons et al 1989;Bos and Janssen 1996;Bos and Urz 2003) are needed for small-scale changes in vegetation or occupation phases to be detectable. Furthermore, the detection of human-induced small local vegetation changes is dependent on the distance between the area of activity and the area from which the samples were derived (Kloss 1987a;Hicks 1993;Bos and Janssen 1996).…”