Archaeology enters the ‘atomic age’: a short history of radiocarbon, 1946–1960

Kern, Emily M

doi:10.1017/s0007087420000011

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…In this paper, we introduce a fast Python framework for carbon box models, ticktack (https:// sharmallama.github.io/ticktack). 1 The framework is designed to be flexible, allowing arbitrary box models to be specified and modified. This is implemented in the high-performance Google JAX library [92], which supports just-in-time compilation, automatic differentiation, and code deployment to graphics processing unit (GPU)s. This code interfaces with the popular Bayesian inference packages emcee [93] and JAXNS [94].…”

Section: (A) Carbon Cycle Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Radiocarbon dating is used to accurately determine the age of samples of biological material, and is a fundamental tool of modern archaeology [1,2]. Thermal neutrons produced by cosmic rays interact with 14N atoms in the upper atmosphere to produce radioactive 14C , or radiocarbon, which filters across the carbon cycle through the atmosphere, biosphere, and marine environments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Modelling cosmic radiation events in the tree-ring radiocarbon record

et al. 2022

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Annually resolved measurements of the radiocarbon content in tree-rings have revealed rare sharp rises in carbon-14 production. These ‘Miyake events’ are likely produced by rare increases in cosmic radiation from the Sun or other energetic astrophysical sources. The radiocarbon produced is not only circulated through the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans, but also absorbed by the biosphere and locked in the annual growth rings of trees. To interpret high-resolution tree-ring radiocarbon measurements therefore necessitates modelling the entire global carbon cycle. Here, we introduce ‘ ticktack ’ ( https://github.com/SharmaLlama/ticktack/ ), the first open-source Python package that connects box models of the carbon cycle with modern Bayesian inference tools. We use this to analyse all public annual 14 C tree data, and infer posterior parameters for all six known Miyake events. They do not show a consistent relationship to the solar cycle, and several display extended durations that challenge either astrophysical or geophysical models.

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Section: (A) Carbon Cycle Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling cosmic radiation events in the tree-ring radiocarbon record

et al. 2022

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“…The use of the radioactive properties of naturally occurring radionuclides in archaeology dates back to the 1940s and the evolution of radiocarbon dating (Kern, 2020). The technique, which measures residual carbon-14 concentrations in artefacts of typically organic origin, is used to estimate the target's age.…”

Section: A New Geophysical Toolmentioning

confidence: 99%

Portable gamma ray spectrometry for archaeological prospection: A preliminary investigation at Silchester Roman Town

Robinson

Clark²,

Fry

et al. 2022

Archaeological Prospection

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Several studies have suggested the potential value in applying gamma radiation surveys to support identification of buried archaeological features. However, the number of previous studies is very small and has yielded mixed results. The true efficacy of the technique is therefore unclear. Here, we report on an alternative survey method that uses Groundhog®, a portable gamma radiation system with spectrometric capability, to achieve high spatial density monitoring of archaeological sites. The system, which is used extensively in the nuclear industry, was used to carry out preliminary surveys at four different locations within the Silchester Roman Town. Targeting a site for which an extensive amount of archaeological data is available facilitated testing of the method on a range of known target types. Surveys were carried out along 1‐m transects at an approximate walking speed of 1 m per second, resulting in the capture of one radiation measurement per square metre. Total gamma radiation, recorded in counts per second, was presented in the form of surface radiation (contour) maps and compared against existing geophysical data. Total gamma counting consists of counting gamma rays, without energy discrimination, that are spontaneously emitted by the material under investigation. The obtained counts represent the total, or gross, gamma contribution from all radionuclides, both natural background series and anthropogenic. Radiation anomalies were identified in two of the four survey sites. These anomalies correlated with features present in the geophysical data and can be attributed to a Temenos wall bounding the temple complex and an infilled clay pit. Early results suggest that this may be a complementary technique to existing geophysical methods to aid characterization of archaeological sites. However, it is believed that data quality could be significantly improved by further increasing spatial resolution. This will be explored as part of future fieldwork.

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The Yale Geochronometric Laboratory and the Rewriting of Global Environmental History

Martin

2023

J Hist Biol

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Archaeology enters the ‘atomic age’: a short history of radiocarbon, 1946–1960

Cited by 3 publications

References 33 publications

Modelling cosmic radiation events in the tree-ring radiocarbon record

Modelling cosmic radiation events in the tree-ring radiocarbon record

Portable gamma ray spectrometry for archaeological prospection: A preliminary investigation at Silchester Roman Town

The Yale Geochronometric Laboratory and the Rewriting of Global Environmental History

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