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We propose a new shore‐level displacement curve for southern Lolland and the Femern Belt in southeastern Denmark based on 94 new and four published eadiocarbon ages of organic material and shells of marine molluscs. Mires existed in the deeper parts of the Femern Belt during the Early Holocene, and a large lake formed as the water level gradually rose. The lake phase was followed first by a brackish‐water phase from c. 8500 cal a BP and by a marine phase after c. 7800 cal a BP when the relative sea level was ~8 m lower than at present. Over the past6500 years the sea level has gradually risen by ~2 m and reached its highest level in recent times. There are no indications of a higher than present sea level in the area and no indications of 1–2 m sea‐level oscillations as reported from other parts of the region. The relative sea‐level curve for southern Lolland differs from relative sea‐level curves from northern parts of Denmark, which are more influenced by glacio‐isostatic uplift. Southern Lolland has been uplifted by 4–5 m over the last 8000 years, whereas the Limfjord region in northern Denmark has been uplifted by around 12 m during the same period. We propose a new shore-level displacement curve for southern Lolland and the Femern Belt in south-eastern Denmark based on 94 new and four published radiocarbon ages of organic material and shells of marine molluscs. Mires existed in the deeper parts of the Femern Belt during the Early Holocene, and a large lake formed as the water level gradually rose. The lake phase was followed first by a brackish-water phase from c. 8500 cal a bp and by a marine phase after c. 7800 cal a bp when the relative sea level was ~8 m lower than at present. Over the past 6500 years the sea level has gradually risen by ~2 m and reached its highest level in recent times. There are no indications of a higher than present sea level in the area and no indications of 1–2 m sea-level oscillations as reported from other parts of the region. The relative sea-level curve for southern Lolland differs from relative sea-level curves from northern parts of Denmark, which are more influenced by glacio-isostatic uplift. Southern Lolland has been uplifted by 4–5 m over the last 8000 years, whereas the Limfjord region in northern Denmark has been uplifted by around 12 m during the same period.

The Pitted Ware culture continues to attract attention from scholars. Being chronologically situated in the Neolithic, the Pitted Ware phenomenon breaks with our traditional view on cultural and social evolution by representing a return to, or continuation of, an otherwise abandoned hunter-gatherer lifestyle. One of the key issues for trying to understand the Pitted Ware Culture is its chronology – when and where did this phenomenon emerge for the first time, how did it spread and when and why did it end? In order to clarify these issues this paper presents the hitherto largest sample of new as well as old recalibrated and error corrected radiocarbon dates from Pitted Ware sites all over Scandinavia. From more than 900 radiocarbon dates, we are able to look through the many obstacles that often hamper the interpretation of the limited numbers of individual dates obtained from single sites. Furthermore, we are able to present a model showing a rapid spread of the “Pitted Ware Culture” or “Pitted Ware phenomenon” from a supposed origin in central eastern Sweden (c. 3400 cal BC) to vast, mostly coastal, areas on the Scandinavian Peninsula and northeastern Denmark. The rapid spread can be explained by Pitted Ware engagement in far-reaching flint exchange networks. The end of the Pitted Ware phenomenon (c. 2200 cal BC) can be seen as a consequence of the agricultural intensification and expansion northwards during the Late Neolithic.

Recent discoveries of rapid changes in the atmospheric 14C concentration linked to solar particle events have spurred the construction of new radiocarbon annual calibration datasets [1–13]. With these datasets, radiocarbon dating becomes relevant for urban sites, which require dates at higher resolution than previous calibration datasets could offer. Here we use the single-year radiocarbon calibration curves to anchor the archaeological stratigraphy of the beginning of the Viking Age in time. We present absolutely dated evidence for artefact finds charting the expansion of long-distance trade from as far away as Arctic Norway and the Middle East, which we linked to the beginning of the Viking Age at ad 790 ± 10. The methods developed here enable human interactions and cultural, climatic and environmental changes to be compared in archaeological stratigraphies worldwide. Recent discoveries of rapid changes in the atmospheric 14C concentration linked to solar particle events have spurred the construction of new radiocarbon annual calibration datasets 1–13. With these datasets, radiocarbon dating becomes relevant for urban sites, which require dates at higher resolution than previous calibration datasets could offer. Here we use a single-year radiocarbon calibration curve to anchor the archaeological stratigraphy of a Viking Age trade centre in time. We present absolutely dated evidence for artefact finds charting the expansion of long-distance trade from as far away as Arctic Norway and the Middle East, which we linked to the beginning of the Viking Age at ad 790 ± 10. The methods developed here enable human interactions and cultural, climatic and environmental changes to be compared in archaeological stratigraphies worldwide.

In 2018 Pearson et al. published a new sequence of annual radiocarbon (14C) data derived from oak (Quercus sp.) trees from Northern Ireland and bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva) from North America across the period 1700–1500 BC. The study indicated that the more highly resolved shape of an annually based calibration dataset could improve the accuracy of 14C calibration during this period. This finding had implications for the controversial dating of the eruption of Thera in the Eastern Mediterranean. To test for interlaboratory variation and improve the robustness of the annual dataset for calibration purposes, we have generated a replicate sequence from the same Irish oaks at ETH Zürich. These data are compatible with the Irish oak 14C dataset previously produced at the University of Arizona and are used (along with additional data) to examine inter-tree and interlaboratory variation in multiyear annual 14C time-series. The results raise questions about regional 14C offsets at different scales and demonstrate the potential of annually resolved 14C for refining sub decadal and larger scale features for calibration, solar reconstruction, and multiproxy synchronization.

During the last several years, new multi- and single-layered archaeological sites, in which the most ancient Neolithic pottery in the Eastern Europe had been found, were excavated in the region of Lower Volga. Animal bones and organic materials were sampled from these sites for radiocarbon (14C) dating and diet investigations. The evidence from these studies suggests that the first domestic animals in the Lower Volga region appeared in the Cis-Caspian culture of the Early Eneolithic. Lipid analysis of food crusts from pottery allowed the cooked food to be characterized. The detailed chronology from Neolithic (6500–5400 cal BC) to Eneolithic (5300–4700 cal BC) cultures, as well as the diet of these ancient people, were reconstructed.

On the island of Lolland, southeast Denmark, an area of almost 300 ha is currently under archaeological investigation prior to the planned construction of a tunnel between Denmark and Germany under the Femern belt. The area investigated in the context of the “Femern project” includes a former fjord or lagoon, which was used both as an economic resource and as background for ritual activities in the Neolithic. The wetland conditions give excellent preservation conditions for organic material. A yet unsolved issue, however, is the question of reservoir effects. The local reservoir effect needs to be known for accurate radiocarbon (14C) dating of samples with possible aquatic carbon sources, such as human bones or food residues on pottery. Therefore, this paper attempts to calculate the local reservoir effect for the study area. I will discuss the possibilities and limitations when analyzing 14C dates from a rescue excavation. When applying the estimated reservoir corrections to a hoard of jaws and other bones, an interesting change in ritual activity at ca. 4000 cal BC can be observed. Furthermore, I examined 14C dates on bulk organic sediment and will discuss their implications for building chronologies and for reconstructing the environment of the Stone Age fjord. Finally, I will discuss the pitfalls and uncertainties associated with 14C dates for sea level reconstruction.

The Volga-Kama region plays an important role in the understanding of the Neolitization processes of both the local and the neighboring territories cultures. Precise definition of the Volga-Kama cultures correlation requires establishing the reliable chronological boundaries of the individual stages or the entire culture evolution. After 2007 we obtained about 350 dates for a significant number of the Neolithic sites in the region. The studies were performed in various laboratories using both the traditional techniques and the АМS. The study materials included coal, animal bones, soot, soil and organic inclusions in ceramics. This provided for the verification of the obtained values. The significant number of obtained dates added statistic stability to the sample. Processing of the obtained data for each territory of the Volga-Kama region produced the sufficiently reliable chronological boundaries for both the individual archaeological sites and each culture. We established that the Neolithic cultures developed in the Northern Caspian coast in the period between 6600–5500 cal ВС, in the Lower Volga region — 6500–5400 cal ВС, in the forest-steppe Volga region — 6600–4600 cal ВС, in the forest Middle Volga region — 5900–4500 cal ВС, in the Sura area — 6200–4500 cal ВС, and in the Moksha area — in 5500–4500 cal ВС.

The socio-cultural and economic developments that took place from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age are poorly understood, despite the fact that they were essential for the establishment of fully agro-pastoral economies in Europe. In this study, we aim to assess dietary changes in communities living in southern Italy during this period by examining stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios on human bone collagen. In particular, we investigated skeletal remains from seven sites in the southern Italian regions of Calabria (Grotta della Monaca, Grotta di Donna Marsilia and Grotta dell’Antenato), Basilicata (Murgia Timone, Grotta Funeraria and Toppo d’Aguzzo) and Apulia (Ipogeo dei Bronzi) to explore possible variations in diet between different geographic areas and periods. The results of the analysis on bone collagen extracts from 33 human and 12 faunal (sheep, dog, cattle and pigs) specimens attest that the diets of prehistoric southern Italians were mixed and based on the consumption of terrestrial resources, including generally moderate proportions of animal protein (e.g. meat and dairy products) and of C3plants (e.g. cereals and legumes). Minor differences in the proportion of consumed meat are mostly dependent on the nature of regional environments, with individuals from Basilicata relying more on animal protein than those from Calabria and Apulia. Our study provides insights into the dietary habits of southern Italian populations during the prehistoric period that witnessed an increase both in agriculture and in pastoralism.

The aim of this study is to investigate the range, the degree of variability, and a possible time or species dependence of wood and charcoal δ13C values within one small study area. To achieve this, we used δ13C and 14C determinations of more than 400 archaeological samples from a ca. 300 ha area in Denmark, spanning 5000 years and covering several different species. The δ13C values of the wood and charcoal range from −32.8‰ to −21.2‰. We found no time-dependence of wood and charcoal δ13C values, neither in general nor within one species. The mean δ13C of all wood samples is −28.5‰, while the means of individual species range from −30.6‰ to −26.3‰. The mean of all charcoal samples is −25.7‰, with the means of individual species ranging from −28.1‰ to −24.3‰. The wood δ13C values can be used to infer the possible range of plant δ13C values, which otherwise are not available. They imply that a high degree of variability can be expected at the base of the food chain. This is relevant for palaeodietary studies that rely on the measurement of baseline isotope values.

Only a limited number of radiometric dates for the Final Palaeolithic and the first half of the Mesolithic are available from the south-eastern Baltic. This paper presents eight new Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene AMS radiocarbon ages of osseous artefacts housed at the Kaliningrad Regional Museum of History and Art. These artefacts include one piece of worked reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) antler, three axes of the so-called ‘Lyngby’ type, one bone point, one uniserial harpoon, one so-called bâton percé antler shaft, and one slotted bone. All the samples were successfully dated and yielded five Late Pleistocene and three Early Holocene ages, including the hitherto earliest age for human occupation in the Eastern Baltic. The dates include not only a surprisingly early date for a bone point (for this region), but also some dates that contradict expected ages based on the traditional typological assessment. Our study significantly adds to the still small number of existing absolutely dated artefacts from the region, as well as proposing new ways of viewing the Final Palaeolithic and Early Mesolithic chronology in the south-eastern Baltic. Only a limited number of radiometric dates for the Final Palaeolithic and the first half of the Mesolithic are available from the southeastern Baltic. This paper presents eight new Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene radiocarbon accelerator mass spectrometry (14C AMS) ages of osseous artifacts housed at the Kaliningrad Regional Museum of History and Art. These artifacts include one piece of worked reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) antler, three axes of the so-called Lyngby type, one bone point, one uniserial harpoon, one so-called bâton percé antler shaft, and one slotted bone. All the samples were successfully dated and yielded five Late Pleistocene and three Early Holocene ages, including the hitherto earliest age for human occupation in the Eastern Baltic. The dates include not only a surprisingly early date for a bone point (for this region), but also some dates that contradict expected ages based on traditional typological assessment. Our study significantly adds to the still small number of existing absolutely dated artifacts from the region and proposes new ways of viewing the Final Palaeolithic and Early Mesolithic chronology in the southeastern Baltic.

The paper reports the results of the research at Neolithic site Algay in Saratov region in steppe Povolzhye in 2015. The existence of two levels of cultural layer was traced. New data on the pottery of Orlovskaya culture and the technology of its making were obtained. The vessels were made of clay with clamshell additive or of silt. Stone tools are represented by plaques, scrapers, points and geometric microliths. The co-occurance of trapezoids with planed back and segments with Geluanskaya retouch was noted. The determination of osteological remains at the site shows tour, tarpan, onager and saiga prevailing. Domestic dog bones were found. They were in the layer dated back to 5700 BC. Radiocarbon dating of different materials (bones, charred organic remains, charcoal) from the site makes it possible to compare the results. The low level dates back to between 5800 and 5400 BC and the upper level to 4800 BC. These dates allow to confirm the site development from VI to the beginning of V millennium BC in calibrated meanings. It allows to correct the chronology of the Neolithic in the Low Povolzhye.

Tollund Man is one of the most famous Iron Age bog bodies due to his well-preserved head. Since he was unearthed in 1950 in Bjældskovdal, Denmark, he has been subjected to several scientific investigations, but until now no attempts to reconstruct his general diet through isotope analyses have been conducted. Furthermore, previous radiocarbon (14C) analyses have only been able to date him broadly to the 3rd–4th century BC. In this study, stable isotope measurements (δ13C, δ15N) on bone collagen from Tollund Man’s femur and rib showed that the diet of Tollund Man was terrestrial-based and that the crops he ate probably were grown on manured fields. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C dates were obtained on both the 30kDa fractions of ultrafiltered collagen. Results showed that the ultrafiltration removed contamination from older substances from the burial environment. The femur was dated to 2330±23 BP, the rib to 2322±30 BP. These dates statistically agree with a previously published AMS 14C age on skin. By combining the new dates with the previous date of his skin it was possible to narrow down the age of Tollund Man to the period 405–380 cal BC (95.4% confidence interval).

This study shows how radiocarbon dating can be used to monitor the success of a wetland restoration program and its impact on global climate.The Danish River Odense Å was channelized in the years 1944-1950 and the surrounding riparian wetlands drained to provide land for agriculture. In 2003, it was brought back to its original meandering course (between Brobyværk and Lyndelse, 4.6 km of straight channel were remeandered to 6 km of natural channel with 16 meander bows) and 125 ha of wetlands were restored. One of the expected benefits of this operation is the increased sequestration of carbon in the sediments accumulating around the river. This would result in reduced CO2 emissions, thus be an advantage for global climate and reduce Denmark’s carbon footprint.We measured the radiocarbon ages of the bulk organic sediment from different distances to the river and at different depths below surface. Furthermore, we analysed reference samples of surface soil, which had been collected immediately before the start of the restoration project. The radiocarbon ages of sediments accumulating after the restoration are decreasing: The deepest sediment samples, which had accumulated just after the restoration, have the highest ages. Today’s surface samples have the youngest ages. This shows that increasing amounts of young carbon are sequestered in the wetland, while the amounts of old, redeposited carbon are decreasing. However, these observations also show that the radiocarbon age of bulk sediment samples does not yield the time of deposition, but rather indicate the source of the carbon.A complicating factor are reservoir ages of plants contributing to the sediment organic matter. Therefore, we also radiocarbon dated aquatic and terrestrial vegetation. Surprisingly, not only aquatic, but also meadow plants such as soft rush, rough bluegrass and meadowsweet have considerable reservoir effects. CO2 from decaying vegetation seems to be an important carbon source for some meadow plants, mimicking a canopy effect in the open land.

Recent archaeological fieldwork at Hjarnø Sund, on the present-day island of Hjarnø in Horsens Fjord (eastern Jutland, Denmark), have explored a large eroding Mesolithic site. Two large shell middens have been identified at this locality. Emergency underwater excavations have targeted the one that is currently being eroded by sea currents and wave action. The stratigraphy of this deposit is characterized by two layers extending over tens of metres and containing marine mollusc taxa typically collected by Mesolithic hunter-gatherers for food. In the field, the lower layer appeared to be dominated by the European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis), whilst the upper one to be dominated by common cockle (Cerastoderma edule). Our zooarchaeological study of midden samples confirmed the field observations on the taxonomic representation of marine shells in the two layers. AMS radiocarbon dating on shells and paired charcoal samples from the two layers indicates that these are chronologically consecutive (separated by as little as 0 to 157 years (95.4%) and that the oyster-to-cockle shift dated between ~5500-5300 cal BC and ~5300-5200 cal BC (around or just after the Kongemose / Ertebølle transition). The shell midden at Hjarnø Sund is, thus, one of the oldest-known in Denmark, demonstrating that intensive shellfish exploitation was a hallmark of the Ertebølle culture from its inception. Our study suggests that oyster-to-cockle shifts also occurred at times other than the Mesolithic-Neolithic Transition and that they may have been ultimately caused by the effects of local shoreline displacements, and consequent increases in sedimentation, resulting from drops in relative sea level.

This paper presents radiocarbon dates obtained within the Danish-German Jerash Northwest Quarter project. Since 2011, the largely unexplored Northwest Quarter of the Decapolis town of Gerasa, today’s Jerash, has been under investigation by Aarhus University and Ruhr-Universität Bochum. The project studies the settlement history of this city from Hellenistic/Roman times into the Medieval period. The extensive excavation campaigns of the Northwest quarter of Jerash resulted in more than 80 radiocarbon samples on a number of different materials. Whereas most of these results are presented here for the first time, the radiocarbon dating of mortar samples from trench Q have previously been reported (Lichtenberger et al. 2015). Our overall aim here is to present the radiocarbon results for each trench and not least to discuss their implications on the overall chronology of the Northwest Quarter. In order to do so we will employ Bayesian statistics to constrain calibrated age ranges. The prior information for these Bayesian models is based on archaeological field observations and stratigraphy.Reference: Achim Lichtenberger, A. Lindroos, Rubina Raja, and Jan Heinemeier, 'Radiocarbon Analysis of Mortar from Roman and Byzantine Water Management Installations in the Northwest Quarter of Jerash, Jordan', Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2 (2015), 114-27.

This article summarizes my experimental and archaeological research about the earliest pottery in Northern Germany and Denmark, belonging to the Erteblle culture, a Late Mesolithic hunter-gatherer-fisher culture. I will present firing and cooking experiments with copies of Erteblle pottery and how a reference collection of experimental food crusts can be used to understand issues of radiocarbon reservoir effects and stable isotope measurements in food crusts. It will be shown that cooking food resources with a reservoir age, such as marine or freshwater fish, leads to the same reservoir age in the pottery. The results from the experiments will be compared to the archaeological record. I will discuss the implications of the experimental studies for radiocarbon dating of archaeological pottery, and for studies of style and function of ceramics.

Palaeoenvironmental and14C reservoir age variability in the Limfjord, a sound through northern Jutland, Denmark, was investigated for the period 7300 to 1300 cal yr BP. Shells and bulk sediment samples from a core from a former inlet, Kilen, were analysed by radiocarbon dating and stable isotope (C/N) measurements. A strong correlation between the C/N ratios and δ13C values verifies that these are good carbon source indicators and thus allow environmental reconstructions. Furthermore, δ13C values are correlated with salinity in the photic zone, inferred quantitatively from diatom assemblages. They are therefore used to differentiate between brackish and marine palaeo-conditions.14C reservoir ages of shells vary from Δ R=−140 to +30014C years. Between 7300 and 5400 cal. yr BP, reservoir age and stable isotope values are highly variable and indicate mixing of marine water and brackish surface waters with hard water effects. After 5400 cal. yr BP, the Δ R values stabilise and show an increasingly marine environment, with14C reservoir ages close to 400 years (Δ R=0). After 2000 cal. yr BP, Kilen becomes brackish. Reservoir ages and stable isotope values are again highly variable and δ13C and C/N values are no longer correlated. Before 4000 cal. yr BP, δ15N values vary by only 1‰ and do not reflect the changes in the marine environment. A δ15N increase between 3500 and 2000 cal. yr BP signifies enhanced organic productivity or a change in agricultural practices.

Die Grübchenkeramische Kultur (GRK) in Südwestskandinavien vereint eine Fülle von ökonomischen Strategien. Einige Fundplätze spiegeln eine maritime Jäger-Sammler-Ökonomie wider, während es auf anderen Anzeichen für Ackerbau und Viehzucht gibt. Im Gebiet um das Kattegat scheint es enge Kontakte zwischen dem heutigen Dänemark (insbesondere der Region Djursland) und Westschweden gegeben zu haben.Das multidisziplinäre Projekt „CONTACT. The Pitted Ware Phenomenon in Djursland and Maritime Relations across the Kattegat in the Middle Neolithic“ erforscht verschiedenste Aspekte der GRK in den Küstenregionen des Kattegat. Kontakte zwischen Schweden und Dänemark und generell die Ausbreitung der GRK können nur auf der Basis verlässlicher Datierungen verstanden werden. In Djursland ist das Fundmaterial der GRK oft mit (früheren) Funden der Trichterbecherkultur vermischt, so dass die Zugehörigkeit von Probentypen wie Holzkohle, Knochen oder Getreidekörnern zur GRK unsicher ist. Die Datierung von Speisekrusten auf Grübchenkeramik ermöglicht hingegen die Altersbestimmung von Funden, die eindeutig zur GRK gehören. In Westschweden sind Speisekrusten auf Keramik sogar oft das einzige datierbare Fundmaterial.Wegen der großen Bedeutung von Meeressäugern und Fisch in der GRK muss man mit Reservoireffekten rechnen. Um die Datierungen an Speisekrusten korrigieren zu können, wurden Isotopenanalysen (13C, 15N) durchgeführt. Diese bieten nicht nur einen Korrekturfaktor für die Radiokarbondatierung. Sie liefern auch eine Momentaufnahme der zubereiteten Nahrung – im Gegensatz zu z.B. Menschenknochen, die die durchschnittliche Ernährung einiger Jahre reflektieren. So können einzelne Mahlzeiten an verschiedenen Fundplätzen rekonstruiert werden, was in Zukunft sogar die Unterscheidung von alltäglichen und „rituellen“ Mahlzeiten ermöglichen könnte.In meinem Vortrag werde ich die ersten Ergebnisse unseres Projekts präsentieren und dabei insbesondere auf methodologische Überlegungen eingehen: ist eine chemische Vorbehandlung der Speisekrusten notwendig für Isotopenmessungen? Welche chemischen Fraktionen des angebrannten Essens datiert man und wie repräsentativ sind sie für die zubereitete Nahrung?

The pottery investigated in this study comes from late mesolithic inland sites next to rivers in Northern Germany. The first AMS 14C datings of food crusts from these sites showed surprisingly high ages, which could be caused by the hardwater effect. Modern samples from the rivers have ages of several hundred 14C years, and a modern food crust prepared from fish with a certain reservoir age shows the same age as the fish. Surprisingly, there was a large age difference between water samples and fish/mollusc shell from the same river. Associated archaeological samples of terrestrial and fluvial origin show age differences of several hundred and up to 3000 years. These high age differences are only to a limited extent transferred to the archaeological food crusts.

The European elk, “moose” in American English, was an important resource in the prehistory of Northern Europe. On some sites, it was the most important species in the economy. Furthermore, numerous examples of mobile and non-mobile art show the importance of the elk as a symbolic or ritualistic resource. We can never be certain of the precise meaning of the elk and what it symbolized for prehistoric peoples. Contrary to what one would expect, however, natural sciences could contribute to this discussion by elucidating the nutrition and behavior of the elk: aquatic plants can have very high freshwater reservoir effects, and when elks consume many aquatic plants, their bone and antler will reflect that reservoir effect. A high freshwater reservoir effect in elk bones will thus confirm that the elk spent a lot of time in water, so it might have been regarded as a semi-aquatic animal, or as an animal belonging to “two worlds”, the terrestrial and the aquatic.

The concentrations of the stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes, δ13C and δ15N, can be used to roughly reconstruct the former content of Stone Age cooking vessels. This was supported by measurements on experimental food crusts. The reconstruction of the ingredients used in the vessels is not only relevant for reconstructing the diet, but also important for 14C-dating. Resources from sea- or freshwater can cause substantial radiocarbon reservoir effects. For a reliable 14C-dating, they therefore have to be identified. This study presents 14C-datings of the earliest pottery of Schleswig-Holstein at the inland Ertebølle sites Kayhude and Schlamersdorf (Fig. 1). The coastal Ertebølle and Funnel Beaker site Neustadt was studied for comparison.

I september 2014 starter et stort tværfagligt forskningsprojekt om grubekeramikken på Djursland og i Sverige: "CONTACT. The Pitted Ware Phenomenon in Djursland and Maritime Relations Across the Kattegat in the Middle Neolithic". Jeg vil præsentere den naturvidenskabelige side af projektet og berette om vores kulstof-14-dateringsstrategi.Den grubekeramiske kultur er et enestående fænomen i danmarkshistorien. Efter introduktionen af agerbruget for 6000 år siden har der været en næsten kontinuerlig udvikling og intensivering imod vore dages industrialiserede landbrug. Men kun næsten - for 5000 år siden gik befolkningen i Kattegat-området tilbage til fortidens jagt og fangst. Denne nye kultur kaldes grubekeramisk kultur efter deres karakteristiske lerkar. Sæljagten blev intensiveret, og landbruget blev opgivet helt eller delvist, tusind år efter dens introduktion.For at forstå, hvor grubekeramikken kom fra og hvordan kontakterne over Kattegattet forløb, skal man have præcise og pålidelige dateringer fra mange bopladser. På nogle pladser er det eneste daterbare materiale madskorper på keramik. Man kan være sikker på, at akvatiske resurcer som fisk, skaldyr og havpattedyr blev tilberedt i lerkarrene. Derfor vil reservoireffekter vanskeliggøre kulstof-14 datering af keramikken. En del af projektet er derfor kvantificering af reservoireffekter i grubekeramikkens madskorper. Målinger af stabile kulstof- og kvælstofisotoper vil sammen med kulstof-14 datering af moderne prøver hjælper at korrigere dateringerne for reservoireffekter.

The introduction and dispersal of ceramic technology in Northern Europe was influenced by two ceramic traditions. Hunter-gatherer pottery from the East and pottery from Neolithic cultures in the South are possible sources of origin for the earliest pre-agricultural ceramic tradition in Northern Europe. The precise dating of pottery is essential for determining the earliest pottery in a given region, for mapping dispersal routes, and for disentangling the origin of the Northern European pottery. However, radiocarbon dating of pottery can be heavily biased by the freshwater reservoir effect, when aquatic resources have been prepared or stored in the pots, or have been used as temper. This paper explores the impact the freshwater reservoir effect can have on radiocarbon dating of pottery. Methods for identifying the presence of aquatic products are presented, and the possibility of reservoir corrections is discussed.

The earliest pottery in Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany, was produced by the Final Mesolithic Ertebølle culture. Radiocarbon dating of food crusts on Ertebølle pottery indicated that ceramics from inland sites were substantially older than those from the coast. Therefore, a freshwater reservoir effect was suspected. For assessing the risk of a reservoir effect in the food crust, the presence of aquatic products such as fish has to be identified. It was tested whether stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes can be used for this purpose.In the study presented here I measured the order of magnitude and the degree of variability of the freshwater reservoir effect in Schleswig-Holstein. Experiments with copies of Ertebølle vessels yielded reference material for radiocarbon dating and stable isotope analysis. Food crusts, terrestrial samples and fishbones from two Ertebølle inland sites were analysed as well. It could be shown that the inland pottery most probably has the same age as the coastal pottery.Furthermore, I will present some methodological considerations about pottery dating and a pilot study where food crusts as well as total lipid extracts were dated.

The freshwater reservoir effect can result in anomalously old radiocarbon ages of samples from lakes and rivers. This includes the bones of people whose subsistence was based on freshwater fish, and pottery in which fish was cooked. Water rich in dissolved ancient calcium carbonates, commonly known as hard water, is the most common reason for the freshwater reservoir effect. It is therefore also called hardwater effect. Although it has been known for more than 60 years, it is still less well-recognized by archaeologists than the marine reservoir effect. The aim of this study is to examine the order of magnitude and degree of variability of the freshwater reservoir effect over short and long timescales. Radiocarbon dating of recent water samples, aquatic plants, and animals, shows that age differences of up to 2000 14C years can occur within one river. The freshwater reservoir effect has also implications for radiocarbon dating of Mesolithic pottery from inland sites of the Ertebølle culture in Northern Germany. The surprisingly old ages of the earliest pottery most probably are caused by a freshwater reservoir effect. In a sediment core from the Limfjord, northern Denmark, the impact of the freshwater reservoir effect on radiocarbon dating in an estuarine environment is examined. Here, freshwater influence causes reservoir ages to vary between 250 and 700 14C years during the period 5400 BC - AD 700. The examples in this study show clearly that the freshwater reservoir effect can seriously corrupt radiocarbon dating at inland sites. Reservoir effects should therefore be considered whenever food remains on pottery or the bones of omnivores are radiocarbon dated - irrespective of the site’s distance to the coast.

The freshwater reservoir effect is a potential problem when radiocarbon dating fish bones, shells, human bones, or food crusts on pottery from sites near rivers or lakes. The reservoir age in hardwater rivers can be up to several thousand years and may be highly variable. Accurate 14C dating of freshwater-based samples requires knowing the order of magnitude of the reservoir effect and its degree of variability. Measurements on modern riverine materials may not give a single reservoir age correction that can be applied to archaeological samples, but they show the order of magnitude and variability that can also be expected for the past. This knowledge will be applied to the dating of food crusts on pottery from the Mesolithic sites Kayhude at the Alster River and Schlamersdorf at the Trave River, both in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany. The freshwater reservoir effect is a potential problem when radiocarbon dating fish bones, shells, human bones, or food crusts on pottery from sites near rivers or lakes. The reservoir age in hardwater rivers can be up to several thousand years and may be highly variable. Accurate C dating of freshwater-based samples requires knowing the order of magnitude of the reservoir effect and its degree of variability. Measurements on modern riverine materials may not give a single reservoir age correction that can be applied to archaeological samples, but they show the order of magnitude and variability that can also be expected for the past. This knowledge will be applied to the dating of food crusts on pottery from the Mesolithic sites Kayhude at the Alster River and Schlamersdorf at the Trave River, both in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany.

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Tollund Man is one of the world’s most famous bog bodies due to his exceptionally well-preserved head. He was found in 1950 by peat cutters in a bog near Bjældskovdal, c. 10 km west of Silkeborg. During the years, several analyses have been performed on the body to shed light on the life and death of Tollund Man. The investigations have primarily included forensic and medical examinations, X-rays, CT-scans and microscopical analyses of e.g. the stomach content, while chemical and isotope analyses have not been conducted. In 2016, an extraordinary grant from the municipality of Silkeborg enabled Museum Silkeborg to initiate a range of new scientific investigations of Tollund Man and the associated finds. These include protein analysis, multi-element analysis, Sr isotope analysis and analysis of the stable isotopes of N, C and S. This presentation focuses on measurements of the stable isotopes in bone and hair of Tollund Man. The analysis of the isotopes of C, N and S reveals the diet on long and short time scales: The isotope signature in the bone sample reflects the average diet in the years prior to death; the isotope signature in the hair reflects the diet in the last months of his life. Any difference between the results of the two analyses may indicate a change in the diet in the months before death and could potentially shed light on the circumstances leading to the human sacrifice of Tollund Man.After excavation, the femur bone (and the main part of the body) of Tollund Man was merely left to dry out, and the bone sample could therefore be analysed without special pretreatment. The hair, on the other hand, had been treated with wax, which needed to be removed prior to analysis. The successful method of pre-treatment will be presented.