Radiocarbon Dating: A Critical Analysis of Two Case Studies

This report provides a critical analysis of two case studies focused on radiocarbon dating in archaeology. The first case study examines the reliability of radiocarbon chronology at the Nauwalabila I site in northern Australia, evaluating the impact of charcoal quality and various dating methods, including conventional and ABOX-SC AMS techniques. The second case study investigates the application of direct AMS radiocarbon dating on shell beads to refine chronologies and understand stylistic developments. The report details the methodologies used, including sample collection, pretreatment, and data analysis, highlighting the significance of radiocarbon dating in establishing timelines, tracing artifact movements, and understanding social dynamics. The analysis reveals the challenges of charcoal dating in tropical environments and emphasizes the utility of AMS dating for dating small artifacts, such as shell beads, offering insights into ethnic affiliations and the evolution of material cultures. The conclusion underscores the indispensable role of radiocarbon dating in archaeological research, enabling global comparisons and providing critical context for understanding the past.

Critical Analysis

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
1. Purposes (research questions, aims, rationales, argument).....................................................1
2. Methodology...........................................................................................................................2
3. Data, Analysis and Interpretations..........................................................................................3
4. Research Significance.............................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
The most important development in the field of archaeology is the radiocarbon dating and
it can be used as a tool for dating over a period of about 50,000 years. This radiocarbon dating
can be applicable to everything in the universe (Bente Philippsen, 2013). The age of an object
containing organic material can be determined by using the properties of radiocarbon dating.
This assessment will critical examine the two case studies on the area of radiocarbon
dating by representing the purpose and aim of theses papers. It will also represent the methods
and overall significance of these both case studies related to field of radiocarbon dating.
1. Purposes (research questions, aims, rationales, argument)
In the first case study the various outcomes of extensive radiocarbon dating have been
represented at Nauwalabila I site in north Australia. At Nauwalabia the reliability of the
radiocarbon chronology is up to ~130 cm depth,but during the period in the early down this level
charcoal coarse has been variable changed (Rick and Waselkov, 2015). None of the radiocarbon
ages can be used for indicating the reliable age of examination of the sediments below ~150 cm.
In the upper part of sequence the dates of luminescence at the surface and around 110 cm are
accordant with the chronology of radiocarbon and therefore the results of aberrant radiocarbon
below the ~150 cm do not contain any doubt regarding the accuracy of luminescence
chronology. The careful assessment is required for the quality of charcoal for radiocarbon dating
need to be evaluated to the threats of depending on not so vast number of radiocarbon dates
towards the development of robust site chronologies. The purpose of this is to evaluate the
radiocarbon chronology integrity by making use of previous data and the outcomes that is
produced by using the conventional radiocarbon dating methodology and new ABOX-SC AMS
dating of radiocarbon methods.
In the second case study it had been shown the Direct AMS dating of radiocarbon is be
utilized to evaluate the development of stylistic shell beads and ornaments. This techniques has a
huge potential even though it require a small amount of shell ,it can test and redefine the
chronologies of bead that are crested during the radiocarbon dating. For an instance the
collection of eight Olivalla Grooved Rectangle(OGR) from sites of archaeological were used in
AMS techniques .Consistent suits of dates were produced as a result that represent clustering
between 4400 and 5400 CYBP (Wood, 2015). The mixture of contexts and a advanced property
of stylish variance have been discovered from the California Channel by the OGR beads. The
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OGR beads are recovered in a historic territories which provided indication over possible ethnic
and linguistic terms. This can serves as an illustration on how the use of AMS radiocarbon dating
to trial and polish the typologies of artefact and grouping schemes. The purpose of this case
study is to represent the utility of direct dating and shell beads and other organic artefacts can be
altered. (Levy and Higham, 2014).
2. Methodology
The techniques and the methods that are used in the case study one are derived from the
bulk sediment samples that are collected in a systematic manner and during the original
excavations that are bagged in the situ ,by the geomorphologist and from the excavated
sediments the fragmented charcoal coarse can be sort on the land site during the occurrence of
the natural turn up. The illustration were collected from contiguous pins .From the bulk material
the samples were collected ,except within the interval none can be found on the site plans. In
order to consider a variations in small slope,and general variable in strati-graphic 'topography'
modification were made in the plain depth of equivalent units that introduced an extra cause of
certainties in relation with the pits of some centimetres (Hunt, Gilbertson and Simpson, 2015).
The original accumulation of the sediments were increased in the age which can be interpreted
below the modern ground surface in the context of this study whose potential uncertainty is not
big enough. To date charcoal attempts were made from a range of size fractions by making use
of techniques of customary radiometric and accelerator aggregate spectrometry. By making use
of sodium poly-tungstate solution with a certain density was either hand-picked or concentrated
by charcoal in flotation (Hamilton & Sayle, 2017). In the modification of the methods that are
described in 1997 the acid-base-wet oxidation(ABOX-SC) procedures are also utilized in this
study. The sequential pretreatment of samples are involved in the techniques .Various other
pretreatments were applied to charcoal such as the mass combustion of acid-washed charcoal or
the samples of acid -washed etc. Several other techniques were also used to find out the nature of
carbon from the deposit of Nauwalabila I.
In the case study two,the AMS dating with a small fragments and the full small
fragments such as shell beads can be dated with radiocarbon. Each bead need to be less than 0.2
g which can be utilized in this study for the AMS dating. Once the details of documentation for
photographic was conducted, the bead were saturated in a distilled liquid and then cleaned with a
proper brush and dried. Omega forged steel wire cutters can be used to snip off a piece from each
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bad the a pair of were used thus removing the groove in the beast possible way (Gamble, 2015).
The fragments of bead then were kept in a particular place,seal-lock bags were labelled and fro
radiocarbon analysis it was sent to Beta Analytic. With de-ionized water one can wash them it
and then treated at the lab by the scientists in order to withdraw additional debris and integrated
sediments . To remove secondary carbonate components individual illustration was considered to
a hydrochloric acid. The conversion of shell carbonates were done into CO 2 once the shell were
dried and by using a cobalt catalyst it was converted to a graphite. The samples were then sent to
National laboratory after the pre-treatment (Douka, 2017).
3. Data, Analysis and Interpretations
The data analysis in the case study one shows that for the radiocarbon ages the age-depth
relationship is robust to 110 cm. In the age depth relationship there is an excellent coherence
above 110 cm .It is more faster than 'natural' accumulation rates. The Nauwalabila I chronology
of radiocarbon at pre produces a difficult image. Various strategy that has been applied by the
fragments of charcoal coarse for 110 cm level have proven to be robust,alteration can be done
by the younger carbon if the charcoal is below this range. This alteration may produce results of
the age measurement that are younger than the probable age of charcoal disposition . Using any
technique the altered charcoal of radiocarbon dating did not produce consistent age of
deposition. In tropical environments charcoal can be altered substantially to the point it is not
possible to get a reliable date from nay of the methods that can be used.
In case study two,It represented that during the Middle Holocene over relatively shorter
period of time these beads were produced,changed and transported .The OGR beads are of grate
importance over a long distance as they are found rarely. They can be a symbol ethnic and group
affiliation for many status markers (Boaretto and Poduska, 2013).
The importance of radiocarbon dating with shell beads and other artefacts have been reflected.
With use of direct dating methods sharer focus can be brought into sharper evolution. The little
of the actual artifact is needed in AMS dating that is why it is ideal to use it .The age of bead
production is underestimated in a specific case that are found in Great Basin. It was represented
by AMS dates that apparent temporal gap between OGR beads is not real. This type of beads
were developed for a small time period and are not made now. The various problems in the
enigmatic in western North American archaeology can be addressed if the documentation of
artifact classes were better.
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4. Research Significance
In the case study one ,the research was conducted the value of processing method for
publishing the charcoal suitability before radiocarbon dating occurs. The suggestion is also
provided that the charcoal from the tropical environments need to be treated with caution. In the
tropical environment charcoal can be altered to get a reliable date by any pretreatment
methodology. The past work have been done by Allen and Holdaway in 1995 on the topic of
archaeological radiocarbon dates. The various methods and techniques were used in order to
detect the charcoal nature in Nauwalabila I deposit (Birks, Mackay and Oldfield, 2014).
While the second case study highlighted the importance of direct AMS radiocarbon
dating of shell beads and other datable artifacts. By tracing the movement of bead styles the
individual creativity and the aggregate knowledge of group towards aesthetics can be told. The
Native society,stylistic changes in beads can be reflected by the social dynamics such as
migration,ethnicity and adaptive diversity by depending upon how they were used. The direct
AMS radiocarbon dating were useful in case of OGR beads. This similar methods is applicable
to different types, of shell,bone,wood and material artifacts and thus is utilized in the
development of technologies of organic types. (Bayliss, 2015).
CONCLUSION
Summing up the above case studies it can be concluded that the huge differences have
been brought by radiocarbon dating for archaeologists everywhere. To compare the ages of
objects on a scale of worldwide it make it possible allowing for indispensable comparisons
across a globe. The AMS radiocarbon dating involves accelerating the ions at an extraordinary
energies. The advantage of this type of radiocarbon dating is that it has a small sample size
radiometric methods and takes less time to analyse the samples for carbon.
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REFERENCES
Books and journals
Bayliss, A. (2015). Quality in Bayesian chronological models in archaeology. World
Archaeology. 47(4), 677-700.
Birks, J., Mackay, A., & Oldfield, F. (2014). Global change in the Holocene. Routledge.
Boaretto, E., & Poduska, K. M. (2013). Materials science challenges in radiocarbon dating: the
case of archaeological plasters. JOM. 65(4), 481-488.
Douka, K. (2017). 22. Radiocarbon dating of marine and terrestrial shell. Molluscs in
Archaeology. 381.
Gamble, C. (2015). Archaeology: the basics. Routledge.
Hamilton, W. D., & Sayle, K. L. (2017). Stable isotopes, chronology and Bayesian models for
the Viking archaeology of north-east Iceland. Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology.
Hunt, C. O., Gilbertson, D. D., & Simpson, D. (2015). Sedimentation, re-sedimentation and
chronologies in archaeologically-important caves: problems and prospects. Journal of
Archaeological Science. 56, 109-116.
Levy, T., & Higham, T. (2014). The Bible and Radiocarbon Dating: Archaeology, Text and
Science. Routledge.
Rick, T. C., & Waselkov, G. A. (2015). Shellfish Gathering and Shell Midden Archaeology
Revisited: Chronology and Taphonomy at White Oak Point, Potomac River Estuary, Virginia.
The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology. 10(3), 339-362.
Wood, R. (2015). From revolution to convention: the past, present and future of radiocarbon
dating. Journal of Archaeological Science. 56, 61-72.
Online
Bente Philippsen. 2013. The freshwater reservoir effect in radiocarbon dating [Online] .
Available through: <https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/2050-7445-1-24> .
[Accessed on 25th August 2017].
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