Yes / In the present paper, the author offers new absolute and contextual dating evidence for Scottish archaeological pitchstone. Much archaeological pitchstone from the Scottish mainland is recovered from unsealed contexts of multi-period or palimpsest sites, and pitchstone artefacts from radiocarbon-dated pits therefore provide important dating evidence for this material group and its associated exchange network. In Scotland, all archaeological pitchstone derives from outcrops on the Isle of Arran, in the Firth of Clyde, and on the source island pitchstone-bearing assemblages include diagnostic types from the Mesolithic, Neolithic and Early Bronze Age period. Off Arran, pitchstone-bearing assemblages never include Mesolithic types, such as microliths, suggesting a post Mesolithic date. This suggestion is supported by worked pitchstone from radiocarbon-dated pits, where all presently available dates indicate that, on the Scottish mainland, Arran pitchstone was traded and used after the Mesolithic period, and in particular during the Early Neolithic period.

Yes / In the context of unanswered questions about the nature and development of the Late Neolithic in Orkney, we present a summary of research up to 2015 on the major site at the Ness of Brodgar, Mainland Orkney, concentrating on the impressive buildings. Finding sufficient samples for radiocarbon dating was a considerable challenge. There are indications from both features and finds of activity predating the main set of buildings exposed so far by excavation. Forty-six dates on 39 samples are presented and are interpreted in a formal chronological framework. Two models are presented, reflecting different possible readings of the sequence. Both indicate that piered architecture was in use by the thirtieth century cal BC and that the massive Structure 10, not the first building in the sequence, was also in existence by the thirtieth century cal BC. Activity associated with piered architecture came to an end (in Model 2) around 2800 cal BC. Midden and rubble infill followed. After an appreciable interval, the hearth at the centre of Structure 10 was last used around 2500 cal BC, perhaps the only activity in an otherwise abandoned site. The remains of some 400 or more cattle were deposited over the ruins of Structure 10: in Model 2, in the mid-twenty-fifth century cal BC, but in Model 1 in the late twenty-fourth or twenty-third century cal BC. The chronologies invite comparison with the near-neighbour of Barnhouse, in use from the later thirty-second to the earlier twenty-ninth century cal BC, and the Stones of Stenness, probably erected by the thirtieth century cal BC. The Ness, including Structure 10, appears to have outlasted Barnhouse, but probably did not endure as long in its primary form as previously envisaged. The decay and decommissioning of the Ness may have coincided with the further development of the sacred landscape around it; but precise chronologies for other sites in the surrounding landscape are urgently required. The spectacular feasting remains of several hundred cattle deposited above Structure 10 may belong to a radically changing world, coinciding (in Model 2) with the appearance of Beakers nationally, but it was arguably the by now mythic status of that building which drew people back to it. / We are very grateful to many institutions and individuals, in particular: Ness of Brodgar Trust, Foundation for World Health, Orkney Islands Council, University of the Highlands and Islands, Orkney Archaeology Society, American Friends of the Ness of Brodgar, Northlink, Talisman- Sinopec, Hiscox Insurance, Historic Environment Scotland, and numerous other supporters and volunteers; Mark Edmonds, Ann MacSween, Colin Richards, and Alison Sheridan for encouragement, advice, and critical comments on an earlier draft of this article; three anonymous referees for their comments; and Kirsty Harding for help with the figures. Dating and modelling have been supported by a European Research Council Advanced Investigator Grant (295412), The Times of Their Lives (www.totl.eu), led by Alasdair Whittle and Alex Bayliss.

Yes / Archaeological skeletal material from most sites represents a cross-sectional, opportunistic sample of the burials. These are influenced by the proportion and area of the site which is excavated, the taphonomic conditions and survival of tissues. This may not be representative of the population, and in an attritional cemetery may represent a long period of use, during which humans will have differing life-courses. Here we describe a commingled skeletal assemblage, the only human remains recovered from the historically significant medieval site of St Stephen’s Chapel, Palace of Westminster, London. Using carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotope ratios of bulk bone collagen and incremental dentine to investigate dietary life histories from 5 individuals, we combine the evidence with radiocarbon dating to assign them to two different temporal cohorts.

In 2019, the author re-presented two 14C dates for Tell el-Hesi in the northern Negev desert of modern-day Israel that were originally published in 2006 by Anderson. Here, 10 additional samples out of the total recovered corpus by The Joint Archaeological Expedition to Tell el-Hesi in 1979 from the EB III occupation in Field VI, were 14C tested to refine further the EB III absolute dates for the site. The samples come from two main contexts along the EB III city wall, representing both the interior occupational debris and an ash dump feature found along the exterior of the city wall. The samples were selected specifically to help frame the EB III temporal landscape of Tell el-Hesi, address the questions presented in this study, as well as provide a benchmark for the chronology of the site that may be beneficial to potential future projects and research conducted at Hesi.

The Kukkal basin, Tamil Nadu, India, receives most of its rain from the southwest monsoon (SWM). A sediment core from Kukkal Lake preserves a continuous sediment record from the early-Holocene to present (9000 yr BP to present). The present lake is situated at an elevation of similar to 1887m a.s.l., in a small basin that appears to have alternated between a and wetland depositional environment. Climate proxies, including sediment texture, total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), C/N, pollen and geochemical composition indicate a steady progression to wetter conditions, with two stepwise changes at about 8000, and between 3200 and 1800 yr BP. The change at 8000 yr BP appears to correspond to a brief (100-150years) dry spell recorded elsewhere in India. The change at 3200-1800 yr BP consisted in a rapid intensification of the SWM, and may correlate with the initiation of the Roman Warm Period'. There is no clear evidence of changes at the times of the Medieval Warm Period' (MWP') and the Little Ice Age' (LIA'). The C/N ratio of the sediments ranges from 14.02 to 8.31, indicating that the organic matter originated from a mixture of lacustrine algae, vascular and terrestrial plants. Chemical weathering indices (Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA), Chemical Index of Weathering (CIW), and Plagioclase Index of Alteration (PIA)) are consistent with extreme silicate weathering. Pollen data show a development from savanna vegetation prior to about 8000 yr BP, followed by grassland with palms, the appearance of ferns just prior to 3200 yr BP and the establishment of the tropical humid forest between 3200 and about 1800 yr BP.

Um estudo interdisciplinar, envolvendo análises de fácies, elementares e isotópicas de carbono e nitrogênio, palinologia e diatomáceas, teve como objetivo reconstruir a dinâmica da vegetação, na Ilha do Marajó, com inferências climáticas. Testemunhos sedimentares foram coletados em dois pontos diferentes na porção leste da Ilha, um no manguezal da Praia do Pesqueiro, outro no Lago São Luís, à ~35Km de distância a oeste e a ~8Km do litoral. Neste local, entre 7521 7433 anos cal AP e ~3.100 anos cal AP, a sedimentação é de argila maciça e laminação plano/paralela, com valores de C/N entre 45 e 15 e \'delta\'15N entre 1,34%o e 5,08%o, que indicam mistura de material orgânico terrestre e fitoplanctônico e a relação C/N e \'delta\'13C material com influência marinha. A concentração de Rhizophora chega a 94,4% do total dos grãos e as diatomáceas marinhas e salobras de Cyclotella striata, Cymatotheca weiisflogii e Paralia sulcata são as mais representativas. Todas essas informações indicam a presença de um manguezal onde atualmente se encontra o Lago São Luis. Entre ~3100 anos cal AP e o presente, as fácies de argila maciça, com os valores de C/N entre 18 e 24 e \'delta\'15N de 1,7 a 6,04%o, que indicam mistura de plantas terrestres com material de algas na matéria orgânica sedimentar, e os valores de \'delta\'13C de -22 a -25%o, que indicam mistura de plantas C3 (espécies arbóreas e herbáceas) e C4 (Poaceae), sugerem significativa mudança ambiental. A palinologia registra uma redução na concentração de Rhizophora e aumento das espécies florestais, como Fabaceae, Melastomataceae/Combretaceae e Myrtaceae e a presença das diatomáceas de água doce, de água doce que suportam condições salobras e de mangue, como Brachysira serians, Frustulia Krammeri, Eunotia sp e Surirella sp. Todas essas informações indicam a formação do lago e a modificação da vegetação no seu entorno, similar a atual. Na Praia do Pesqueiro, entre 1739 1567 e ~614 552 anos cal AP, as fácies de areia com estratificação plano/paralela indicam um ambiente de ante-praia. Valores de \'delta\'13C mais enriquecidos (-25 e -26%o), em relação ao período mais recente (parte superfícial do testemunho), sugerem influência marinha e os bioindicadores estiveram ausentes. De ~614 552 até ~180 160 anos cal AP, fácies de argila maciça indica a presença de uma laguna e valores de C/N de 23,8 e \'delta\'15N de 2,44%o a influência terrestre no material orgânico sedimentar. Palinomorfos de floresta e mangue estão presentes, com concentração de 8,6% e 88,2%, respectivamente, aspectos que sugerem a redução do nível relativo do mar (NRM) e expansão da vegetação de mangue e floresta, que ocupam a área de praia. A preservação de diatomáceas marinhas é registrada pela presença de Coscinodiscus. De ~180 160 anos cal AP até o presente, o manguezal se estabelece, como mostram as fácies de argila laminada e maciça, valores de \'delta\'13C mais empobrecidos (-29,34), C/N entre 18,31 e 24,25 e \'delta\'15N de 0,76 e 2,68%o, que indicam influência terrestre com mistura de matéria orgânica fitoplanctônica. A concentração de Rhizophora chega a 89,8% e as diatomáceas de ambiente salobro, como Cyclotella striata, a 85% do total, onde se infere a contínua redução do NRM / An interdisciplinary study involving facies, elementary and isotopic carbon and nitrogen, pollen and diatom analyses, had the objective to reconstruct the vegetation dynamics at Marajó Island, with climatic inferences. Sedimentary cores of up to 2,5meters were collected in two different points at the eastern part of the island, one in the mangrove at Praia do Pesqueiro, and other at São Luís lake, ~35 km far to the western part and ~8 km from the coast. In this place, between 7521 7433 years cal BP and ~3,100 years cal BP, the deposition of massive and laminated plan/parallel clay, with C/N between 45 and 15 and \'delta\'15N from 1.34 to 5.08%o, indicates a mixture of organic terrestrial material with phytoplankton, and the relation C/N and \'delta\'13C reveals the organic material with marine influence. The Rhizophora concentration is about 94.4% and marine and brackish most representative diatoms were Cyclotella striata, Cymatotheca weissflogii and Paralia sulcata. That batch of information indicates the mangrove presence in the site presently occupied by the Lake São Luís. From ~3100 years cal BP to the present, the massive clay structure and the C/N values between 18 and 24 and \'delta\'15N from 1.7 to 6.04%o that indicates a mixture of terrestrial plants and algae material from sedimentary organic matter and \'delta\'13C values from -22 to 25%o, that indicates a mixture of C3 plants (arboreal and herbs) and C4 (Poaceae), suggest significant environmental changes. The pollen record indicate a reduction of Rhizophora concentration and an increase of forest species, like Fabaceae, Melastomataceae/Combretaceae and Myrtaceae, and the presence of freshwater, freshwater that support brackish conditions and mangrove diatoms, like Brachysira serians, Frustulia Krammeri, Eunotia sp and Surirella sp. This set of information indicates the formation and the vegetation around the lake, similar to modern conditions. At Praia do Pesqueiro, between 1739 1567 and ~ 614 552 years cal BP, the plan/ parallel sand structures indicate a foreshore environment. More enriched \'delta\'13C values (between -25 and -26%o), in relation to the more recent period (shallow part of the core), suggests marine influence, and the bioindicators were absent. From ~614 552 until ~180 160 years cal BP, massive clay facies indicates the lagoon presence, and C/N of 23.8 and \'delta\'15N of 2.44%o values indicates terrestrial influence. Forest and mangrove pollen are present, with concentrations around 8.6 and 88.2%, respectively, suggesting the relative sea level (RSL) falling and the expansion of mangrove and forest vegetation to the beach area. The preserved marine diatom is recorded by the Coscinodiscus presence. From ~180 160 years cal BP to the present, the mangrove vegetation is indicated by the massive and laminated clay structures, more depleted \'delta\'13C values (-29.34 %), C/N around 18.31 and 24.25 and \'delta\'15N of 0.76 and 2.68%o, that indicates the high influence of terrestrial environment, with phytoplankton organic matter mixture. The pollen concentration of Rhizophora is about 89.8% and brackish diatoms, as Cyclotella striata, reaches 85%, which permit the inference of decreased marine influence due to the relative sea level fall

No description available.

Chavín de Huántar is one of the key sites of the Formative Period in the Central Andes, with many decades of investigations by dozens of investigators, but ironically its chronology is still poorly defined and contested. This article reviews the historical evidence for Chavín chronology, emphasizing an examination of calibrated radiocarbon dates, and summarily reviewing related radiocarbon evidence from approximately contemporary sites. The more voluminous C14 evidence from recent work at Chavín is then examined, particularly focused on dates from known ceramic and architectural contexts. A large number of determinations concur, both in and outside of Chavín, in dating stamped polished blackware "janabarroide" ceramics in the range of 800-500 BC in calibrated age. Earlier and later occupations at Chavín are documented, helping confirm this time range for "Early Horizon" materials. Chavín, unlike some other important Formative sites, loses its temple function by around 500 BC calibrated, although major construction seems to have greatly decreased well before that time. / Chavín de Huántar es uno de los sitios fundamentales para entender el Periodo Formativo en los Andes centrales. Irónicamente, a pesar de muchas décadas de investigaciones realizadas por docenas de investigadores, su cronología es todavía debatida e insegura. Este artículo presenta una reseña de la evidencia histórica para la cronología de Chavín, enfatizando la contribución de los fechados radiocarbónicos calibrados y, de manera breve, revisando los que están temporalmente relacionados con otros sitios formativos. Se analizan, también, los numerosos fechados de carbono-14 asociados a cerámica y contextos arquitectónicos conocidos en Chavín derivados de estudios recientes. De hecho, muchos fechados de Chavín y sitios relacionados concuerdan en ubicar a la cerámica negra pulida estampada, denominada janabarroide, alrededor de 800-500 a.C. (calib.). La presencia de ocupaciones anteriores y posteriores, documentadas con fechados, ayudan a confirmar este rango temporal para materiales reconocidos del "Horizonte Temprano". En contraste con algunos otros importantes sitios formativos, Chavín deja de funcionar como templo hacia 500 a.C. (calib.), aunque los esfuerzos destinados a las construcciones principales ya estaban disminuyendo, de manera notable, antes de esta época.

Sonay: A Wari Orthogonal Cellular Center in the Camana Valley, PerúThe site of Sonay is located in the Camana Valley of southern Peru. Investigations in the 1990s revealed the presence of a Wari center at the site, identified by its characteristic orthogonal architecture. Testing of the site recovered two radiocarbon samples that provided tenth century dates for the construction of the center. Few artifactual remains were recovered, suggesting a brief occupation of the site. Descriptions of the research are presented, together with an interpretation of the significance of the results. The late dates for the center support the emerging view that Wari political power lasted considerably longer that early researchers had indicated. / EI sitio de Sonay está ubicado en el valle de Camaná en el centro sur del Perú. Las investigaciones durante los años noventa dieron a conocer la presencia de un centro wari, identificado por la característica arquitectura ortogonal. Las excavaciones de prueba en el sitio produjeron dos muestras radiocarbónicas que arrojaron fechas hacia el décimo siglo d.C. para su construcción. Se encontraron pocos artefactos, lo que sugiere una ocupación breve. Se presenta una descripción de las investigaciones tanto como una interpretación de la importancia de los resultados. Las fechas tardías del centro apoyan la nueva visión de que el poder político wari duró mucho más tiempo de lo que anteriores investigadores indicaban.

Um estudo interdisciplinar, envolvendo análises de fácies, elementares e isotópicas de carbono e nitrogênio, palinologia e diatomáceas, teve como objetivo reconstruir a dinâmica da vegetação, na Ilha do Marajó, com inferências climáticas. Testemunhos sedimentares foram coletados em dois pontos diferentes na porção leste da Ilha, um no manguezal da Praia do Pesqueiro, outro no Lago São Luís, à ~35Km de distância a oeste e a ~8Km do litoral. Neste local, entre 7521 7433 anos cal AP e ~3.100 anos cal AP, a sedimentação é de argila maciça e laminação plano/paralela, com valores de C/N entre 45 e 15 e \'delta\'15N entre 1,34%o e 5,08%o, que indicam mistura de material orgânico terrestre e fitoplanctônico e a relação C/N e \'delta\'13C material com influência marinha. A concentração de Rhizophora chega a 94,4% do total dos grãos e as diatomáceas marinhas e salobras de Cyclotella striata, Cymatotheca weiisflogii e Paralia sulcata são as mais representativas. Todas essas informações indicam a presença de um manguezal onde atualmente se encontra o Lago São Luis. Entre ~3100 anos cal AP e o presente, as fácies de argila maciça, com os valores de C/N entre 18 e 24 e \'delta\'15N de 1,7 a 6,04%o, que indicam mistura de plantas terrestres com material de algas na matéria orgânica sedimentar, e os valores de \'delta\'13C de -22 a -25%o, que indicam mistura de plantas C3 (espécies arbóreas e herbáceas) e C4 (Poaceae), sugerem significativa mudança ambiental. A palinologia registra uma redução na concentração de Rhizophora e aumento das espécies florestais, como Fabaceae, Melastomataceae/Combretaceae e Myrtaceae e a presença das diatomáceas de água doce, de água doce que suportam condições salobras e de mangue, como Brachysira serians, Frustulia Krammeri, Eunotia sp e Surirella sp. Todas essas informações indicam a formação do lago e a modificação da vegetação no seu entorno, similar a atual. Na Praia do Pesqueiro, entre 1739 1567 e ~614 552 anos cal AP, as fácies de areia com estratificação plano/paralela indicam um ambiente de ante-praia. Valores de \'delta\'13C mais enriquecidos (-25 e -26%o), em relação ao período mais recente (parte superfícial do testemunho), sugerem influência marinha e os bioindicadores estiveram ausentes. De ~614 552 até ~180 160 anos cal AP, fácies de argila maciça indica a presença de uma laguna e valores de C/N de 23,8 e \'delta\'15N de 2,44%o a influência terrestre no material orgânico sedimentar. Palinomorfos de floresta e mangue estão presentes, com concentração de 8,6% e 88,2%, respectivamente, aspectos que sugerem a redução do nível relativo do mar (NRM) e expansão da vegetação de mangue e floresta, que ocupam a área de praia. A preservação de diatomáceas marinhas é registrada pela presença de Coscinodiscus. De ~180 160 anos cal AP até o presente, o manguezal se estabelece, como mostram as fácies de argila laminada e maciça, valores de \'delta\'13C mais empobrecidos (-29,34), C/N entre 18,31 e 24,25 e \'delta\'15N de 0,76 e 2,68%o, que indicam influência terrestre com mistura de matéria orgânica fitoplanctônica. A concentração de Rhizophora chega a 89,8% e as diatomáceas de ambiente salobro, como Cyclotella striata, a 85% do total, onde se infere a contínua redução do NRM / An interdisciplinary study involving facies, elementary and isotopic carbon and nitrogen, pollen and diatom analyses, had the objective to reconstruct the vegetation dynamics at Marajó Island, with climatic inferences. Sedimentary cores of up to 2,5meters were collected in two different points at the eastern part of the island, one in the mangrove at Praia do Pesqueiro, and other at São Luís lake, ~35 km far to the western part and ~8 km from the coast. In this place, between 7521 7433 years cal BP and ~3,100 years cal BP, the deposition of massive and laminated plan/parallel clay, with C/N between 45 and 15 and \'delta\'15N from 1.34 to 5.08%o, indicates a mixture of organic terrestrial material with phytoplankton, and the relation C/N and \'delta\'13C reveals the organic material with marine influence. The Rhizophora concentration is about 94.4% and marine and brackish most representative diatoms were Cyclotella striata, Cymatotheca weissflogii and Paralia sulcata. That batch of information indicates the mangrove presence in the site presently occupied by the Lake São Luís. From ~3100 years cal BP to the present, the massive clay structure and the C/N values between 18 and 24 and \'delta\'15N from 1.7 to 6.04%o that indicates a mixture of terrestrial plants and algae material from sedimentary organic matter and \'delta\'13C values from -22 to 25%o, that indicates a mixture of C3 plants (arboreal and herbs) and C4 (Poaceae), suggest significant environmental changes. The pollen record indicate a reduction of Rhizophora concentration and an increase of forest species, like Fabaceae, Melastomataceae/Combretaceae and Myrtaceae, and the presence of freshwater, freshwater that support brackish conditions and mangrove diatoms, like Brachysira serians, Frustulia Krammeri, Eunotia sp and Surirella sp. This set of information indicates the formation and the vegetation around the lake, similar to modern conditions. At Praia do Pesqueiro, between 1739 1567 and ~ 614 552 years cal BP, the plan/ parallel sand structures indicate a foreshore environment. More enriched \'delta\'13C values (between -25 and -26%o), in relation to the more recent period (shallow part of the core), suggests marine influence, and the bioindicators were absent. From ~614 552 until ~180 160 years cal BP, massive clay facies indicates the lagoon presence, and C/N of 23.8 and \'delta\'15N of 2.44%o values indicates terrestrial influence. Forest and mangrove pollen are present, with concentrations around 8.6 and 88.2%, respectively, suggesting the relative sea level (RSL) falling and the expansion of mangrove and forest vegetation to the beach area. The preserved marine diatom is recorded by the Coscinodiscus presence. From ~180 160 years cal BP to the present, the mangrove vegetation is indicated by the massive and laminated clay structures, more depleted \'delta\'13C values (-29.34 %), C/N around 18.31 and 24.25 and \'delta\'15N of 0.76 and 2.68%o, that indicates the high influence of terrestrial environment, with phytoplankton organic matter mixture. The pollen concentration of Rhizophora is about 89.8% and brackish diatoms, as Cyclotella striata, reaches 85%, which permit the inference of decreased marine influence due to the relative sea level fall