ABSTRACT Lacquerwork technologies comprise multiple techniques depending on countries, time, and traditions. Carved Asian lacquers applied on wooden objects consist of multiple thin uncolored or pigmented layers spread over the surface. To radiocarbon ( 14 C) date these types of objects, often only the wooden structure is used. Here we report on a set of carved lacquered objects that were dated based on stylistic form, 14 C dating of the wooden structure and of the Asian lacquers. THM-Py-GC-MS and micro-Raman spectroscopy were used to confirm the molecular composition of the lacquers and helped assessing the pretreatment protocol. The lacquers analyzed contained between 20 and 50% wt carbon, thus 2–5 mg of sample were necessary for 14 C dating. The dates obtained on wood and lacquers showed a reliable correlation. The results suggest that, in most cases, it is sufficient to sample a part of the lacquer layers to date an object. We advise to perform an acid pretreatment followed by a successive solvent immersion with an increasing polarity. Dating different components of a lacquered object can also help to understand previous restoration interventions that frequently occur for ancient lacquered objects. Ceramic, metallic, and other objects covered with Asian lacquers can also be dated using this approach.

ABSTRACT The excavation of a building in the village of Felanitx in the eastern part of the island of Mallorca (Balearic Islands) has revealed the existence of a small necropolis. The inhumations did not provide grave goods except for a bronze belt buckle for which the typological study suggests a Late Antique chronology. The stratigraphical sequence however seems to suggest a possible evolution of the space across time since some graves are cut by others. In order to obtain an absolute date for the necropolis and to verify if there are chronological differences between the graves, a total of 6 human bones samples have been 14 C dated by AMS. The results of the radiocarbon dating confirm a Late Antique chronology (4th to 7th century AD) for the graves but do not suggest a chronological evolution. Despite the fact that the knowledge of the necropolis is still fragmentary, the results are extremely important because they provide an absolute date for a Late Antique necropolis in the Mallorcan rural area.

The excavations of the multiperiod (Mesolithic-Neolithic) site of Bazel-Sluis in the lower Scheldt valley in Belgium revealed the presence of a number of carbonized cereal grains, of which 24 were radiocarbon dated. These results indicate three chronological clusters, respectively between 4850/4610-4530/4330 cal BC; 4430/4250-4270/3980 cal BC; and 4050/3840-3680/3480 cal BC. In accordance with this chronology the cultural remains on the site are affiliated with the Late Mesolithic, Swifterbant and Michelsberg cultural groups, and display contacts with the Bandkeramik and Rossen cultures. The oldest cereal remains are the oldest thus far recorded in a Mesolithic context in the coversand region of North-Western Europe. When assessed within the framework of the archaeological data from the wider region it seems that these finds are to be explained within a first stage of neolithisation, associated with contacts with the Blicquy and Rossen cultural groups. From ca. 4300 cal BC the Michelsberg cultural group seems to be the main instigator for the further advance of the neolithisation process.

14C dating of human remains from the necropolis overlaying the forum of the Roman city of Pollentia (Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Western Mediterranean) has helped to solve the problem of the chronology of these burials. Traditionally, this necropolis was thought to date from the fourth century AD. Recent archaeological data suggested a later chronology with graves that follow funerary practices considered of the Late Antique Christian communities on the island. The results of the radiocarbon dating provide an unexpected dating from the tenth to the twelfth centuries, well into the Islamic period (AD 902/903–1229). The results are of extreme importance as they offer, for the first time, an absolute chronology for this necropolis. Furthermore, they may provide archaeological evidence of the existence of non-Muslim communities into the Muslim period on the island. This absolute chronology and its implications are a major breakthrough for the history of Pollentia, Mallorca and the Balearics.

Traditionally, the Balearic so-called quicklime burials' of the Iron Age have been considered to be inhumations in quicklime. The general appearance of the bones, however, resembles more closely that of cremated bones. Laboratory tests reveal that the observed features of the bones from these burials, including cracks, thumbnail fractures and warping, cannot be explained by an inhumation in quicklime. The C-13 value, Fourier transform infrared spectra, SF values and the low carbon content of the apatite moreover indicate a thermal manipulation of the bones. The C-14 content is depleted with regard to the accepted archaeological age of the sample, which can best be explained by carbon exchange between bio-apatite and fossil CO2 released during the heating of limestone. This implies that the Balearic quicklime burials' must be interpreted as an elaborate cremation practice in presence of limestone. Copyright (c) 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This paper discusses the problems with sampling materials and sampled contexts in the framework of radiocarbon dating of Mesolithic sites situated in generally dry, acid and bioturbated coversand deposits within north-western Europe. The case studies presented all relate to the coversand regions of northern Belgium and the Netherlands, two areas for which very large sets of radiocarbon dates performed on different organic components are currently available. The study points out that charred hazelnut shells from surface hearths and charcoal from hearth pits guarantee the most secure dating results, while the dating of calcined bones and food crusts from Final Mesolithic pottery so far remains problematic.

Empirical and model data are used to re-assess the patterns of dietary change across the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition in north-west Europe. A step-shift in bone collagen δ 13 C values can be observed among coastal populations in Great Britain and parts of southern Scandinavia c. 4000/3900 cal BC, reflecting the rapid introduction of farming. Regional and local variations are evident, and there is a clear geographical trend in the use of marine resources by Neolithic populations across north-west Europe. Our findings suggest that the δ 13 C value of bone collagen may not accurately reflect the proportion of seafood in a diet where the diet included significant quantities of marine bivalves, such as oysters. This also has implications for calculating the marine reservoir contribution to the 14 C ages of human bones. BC, reflétant la rapide introduction de l’agriculture et de l’élevage. Les variations locales et régionales sont évidentes comme la nette variation géographique de l’utilisation des ressources marines par les populations néolithiques du nord-ouest de l’Europe. Nos résultats suggèrent que la valeur δ 13 C du collagène osseux pourrait ne pas refléter, de façon précise, la proportion de fruits de mer du régime alimentaire quand celui-ci comporte une quantité importante de bivalves marins, comme les huîtres. Ceci a aussi une importante conséquence dans le calcul de la contribution du réservoir marin dans l’âge 14 C des os humains.

This paper discusses an aquatic reservoir effect present in Mesolithic human bone samples from the Iron Gates section of the River Danube. Its magnitude has been calculated from a comparison of the C ages of human bones and terrestrial mammal bones from Schela Cladovei, equivalent to 545±70 years for a 100% aquatic diet. From this, using the δN value of human bone collagen to estimate the proportion of aquatic food in diet, a correction factor can be applied to the human bone C ages. Reservoir correction makes the resultant C age less precise but more accurate. The reservoir effect is derived from the inclusion of aquatic resources from the River Danube in the diets of the Mesolithic inhabitants. On the basis that the Black Sea became marine around 7400 cal BC, the possibility that part of the reservoir effect derives from anadromous fish species cannot be discounted. Human remains are abundant in the Iron Gates sites and therefore potentially important for construction of archaeological chronologies. Our ability to correct for the aquatic reservoir affect has important implications for establishing accurate chronologies, especially at the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition, which was marked by a significant change in diet and subsistence.

This study reports on the first attempt that determines the diet of a small but conceivably representative section of Rome's early Christian community by means of δ13C and δ15N measurements on collagen extracted from twenty-two samples of human bone. Samples derive from the Liberian Region in the catacombs of St. Callixtus on the Appian Way—an area that has been radiocarbon dated to the period from the mid-3rd through early 5th century AD. Comparing our results to those produced for several other sites, we argue that this population's typical diet included freshwater fish. We also briefly discuss breastfeeding and the freshwater reservoir effect, to then explore the dietary, art historical, and possible sociological ramifications of our results.

espanolLas islas Baleares forman un archipielago en el Mediterraneo occidental. Las islas han estado colonizadas por humanos desde el Neolitico. El objetivo de este estudio era recabar datos sobre la importancia de la cria de animales, la agricultura y la pesca en la economia alimentaria de las sociedades baleares prehistoricas. Los datos 14C, δ15N y δ13C del colageno y del carbonato de animales domesticos y de humanos abarcan diferentes periodos culturales y situaciones geograficas de los asentamientos, a saber, zonas montanosas, tierras bajas y litoral. En general, los datos isotopicos no corroboran las teorias tradicionales sobre la evolucion de las estrategias de subsistencia durante la prehistoria balear. Dichos datos parecen indicar de nuevo que todos los periodos se caracterizan por una dieta mixta de productos animales y vegetales, y todo da a entender que las comunidades prehistoricas baleares no aprovechaban de un modo sistematico los alimentos marinos o de agua dulce. En mas de un periodo se podrian haber dado pequenas diferencias regionales en la dieta. EnglishThe Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea. The islands have been occupied by humans since the Neolithic. The aim of this study was to garner information on the importance of animal husbandry, agriculture and fishing within the food economy of Balearic prehistoric societies. 14C, δ15N and δ13C data from collagen and carbonate of domestic animals and humans cover different cultural periods and a range of settlement locations, i.e., mountain, lowland and coastal sites. In general, traditional theories about the evolution of the subsistence strategies during the Balearic prehistory are not corroborated by the isotope data. It is again suggested that a mixed diet of animal and plant resources was characteristic for all periods, while it also

Stable isotope data (δ13C and δ15N) from bone collagen are dietary indicators. The isotopic fractionation of the carbon and nitrogen atoms in the amino acid chains from collagen reflects the isotopic fractionation in the food proteins. Stable isotope values make it possible to distinguish herbivores from carnivores, and to further distinguish between marine and terrestrial sources of food.