Relative and absolute dating of four late Neolithic enclosures: an exercise in the interpretation of radiocarbon determinations

Abstract

SummaryIf the fine structure of the carbon-14 deviation curve published by Professor H. E. Suess (in Proceedings of the 12th Nobel Symposium, I. U. Olsson (ed.), 1970) is correct, then the period from c. 2200 bc to c. 1700 bc in radiocarbon years falls within one of the insensitive regions in which carbon-14 determinations could have a number of alternative chronological values and hence could not be used to order archaeological evidence. Without disputing the now well established general trend of radiocarbon variation, it is the purpose of this paper to suggest, from recurrent evidence drawn from four recently studied Late Neolithic enclosures, that the detailed structure of Suess' curve is not necessarily valid. Uncalibrated radiocarbon dates based on the conventional 5570 year half-life of carbon-14 are used throughout this paper.