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The Late Intermediate Period (LIP, cal AD 1000–1450) in the central Andes is defined as a hiatus after the collapse of Tiwanaku and Wari, expansive state polities of the Middle Horizon (cal AD 600–1000), and before the domination of the Inca empire in the Late Horizon (cal AD 1450–1532). The LIP is often characterized as a unit, but major developments took place within this long period, including diasporic migrations and the new colonization of some regions, demographic change, intensified conflict, large-scale adverse climate episodes, and changes associated with the onset of Inca expansion. Here we make a preliminary attempt to clarify the chronology of these developments. A database of published and new radiocarbon dates is compiled for the south-central highlands and coastal valleys in order to model overall and subregional demographic trends using an updated "dates-as-data" cumulative kernel density estimate (CKDE) approach, and to examine specific LIP phenomena in two subregions. Our results indicate major demographic change including 1) substantial population growth beginning in the 13th century, 2) a marked 14th-century population surge in most, but not all, subregions included here, 3) evidence of population decline in several subregions during the same intervals when neighboring populations are expanding. Population growth was associated with intensified violence and increased physiological stress in the upper Nasca drainage. In the altiplano of Peru and Bolivia, population growth accompanied the rise of defensive hillforts and monumental cemeteries. Our date models also indicate a more complicated terminal LIP in the altiplano, with the height of classically "LIP" societies overlapping with early evidence for imperial Inca presence. This paper highlights the ways that more refined chronology can make advances in our understanding of a turbulent post-collapse era in the Andes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A biostratigraphic study was undertaken on a shallow borehole drilled to 90 meters in the easternmost Orinoco Delta, Venezuela. Twenty-eight samples were analyzed for palynomorphs and foraminifera. Palynomorphs were recovered in all except one sample consisting of 178 entities. Foraminifera assemblages of low diversity were recovered in 17 of the 28 samples. The analysis provides some insight into the vegetation, climate, and depositional history allowing comparisons with other Late Pleistocene to Holocene studies in the northern South America region. The Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene transition is marked by an unconformity, where the vegetation changes from a diverse flora of Mauritia flexuosa, grasses (Poaceae), ferns, and mangroves (Rhizophora, Avicennia) to one dominated by Rhizophora around 10,000 years BP. This transition also contains reworked palynomorphs and abundant black wood (inertinite), indicative of erosion and oxidation. The absence of foraminifera suggests an exposed continental shelf and lowering of sea level. The Early Holocene mangrove flora is replaced by vegetation dominated by Mauritia flexuosa, with Symphonia globuliflora, grasses, and ferns. The palynological signature for the upper 42 m of the section compares favorably with a previous study of the Holocene in the Orinoco Delta. Radiocarbon dating indicates there is an unconformity or condensed section at the vegetation change, representing as much as 5500 ± years. Foraminifera indicate an open shelf environment immediately above this horizon followed by a significant shallowing to nearshore transitional environments near the top of the section. Local climate and/or human influence may have been a factor in the abundance of Mauritia flexuosa as suggested by other studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Central Western Argentina (CWA), the incorporation of cultigens by hunter-gatherer populations has been much discussed. This paper explores the relationship between population dynamics, subsistence change, and burial patterns driven by the process of land use intensification and increasing reliance on maize. We hypothesize that territorial behavior emerged in the context of population growth and competition for resources with a high probability of failure, as expected in an arid environment. To evaluate this hypothesis, we explore four lines of inquiry in southern Mendoza (CWA): 1) the frequency of radiocarbon dates to estimate population dynamics; 2) the Juvenile Index as a fertility rate proxy; 3) the stable isotopes on human bone (δ 13C co , δ 15N, δ 13C ca) to reconstruct diet; and 4) burial patterns as an estimate of territorial control. Our results partially support our hypothesis: During an early stage, when maize started to appear in the diet, the population was increasing, and cemeteries emerged along with some signs of violence. The hypothesis is not supported in a second period, when maize consumption and population were highest, but large cemeteries disappeared. In light of this evidence, the effect of maize on human societies was not uniform and irrevocable, and the adoption of maize by human foragers contributed to a new and diverse set of human-environment relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intensity of changes in the population dynamics of the Early Neolithic (ca. 6250–5300 cal BC) communities in the Central Balkans was addressed by estimating the growth rate values. The Bayesian approach (Crema and Shoda 2021) of estimating intrinsic growth rates by fitting different models of population growth was applied to radiocarbon dates from the Early Neolithic sites in Serbia. We explored two possible episodes of population growth based on the results of the population dynamics reconstruction using the summed calibrated radiocarbon probability distributions (SPD) method. The results have shown that, within the first episode of growth, the intrinsic growth rate mean values are higher than the estimated continental average (between 1% and 2%). The results indicate a sudden and fast rise in population size, possibly due to the influx of the new population settling in the region at the beginning of the Neolithic. Lower values for the second episode could indicate more gradual population growth due to the mechanisms associated with the Neolithic Demographic Transition and the rise in fertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a refined Mesolithic chronocultural sequence as a result of matching data provided by the set of archaeological research conducted at Cueva de la Cocina (Valencia, Spain) in the 20th and 21st centuries and the new radiocarbon dates record. Because available data are of different quality, we apply a methodological framework based on Bayesian modelling approaches. To do this, we systematically order each one of the archaeological registers and then combine the information in a unitary general chronology. Our novel approach introduces Bayesian modelling from a double analytical procedure: using Bayesian chronological models applied to the stratigraphic sequence of Pericot's excavation in Cocina cave we build a general phase model using data from multiple years of archaeological fieldwork. One the most reliable layers have been defined, we use this information to define the rest of the sequence through a Predictive Bayesian approach. This approach sheds light on evolutionary questions from a macroscale regarding the socioecological dynamics of the last hunter-gatherers and their role for explaining the subsequent agricultural spread. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are now 101 radiocarbon dates from the long Paleolithic and post-Paleolithic culture-stratigraphic sequence in El Mirón Cave, Cantabrian Spain. Here we report on two dates on bone from two different humans whose remains were found in disturbed surface sediments in the cave vestibule rear and that confirm the existence of burials in addition to previously reported residential occupations in the vestibule front pertaining to the Chalcolithic and early Bronze Age periods (ca. 5500–3500 cal BP). In another attempt to resolve problems of stratigraphic incoherence of dates from the early Magdalenian periods in the vestibule rear, six new assays on faunal remains from Levels 119, 117, 114, 108, and 106 were run at Queen's University in Belfast. There continue to be date inversions in the Lower Magdalenian range of levels that may be explained by a combination of intensive anthropic and rodent activity, major rock fall, slope wash and gravity-caused object movements, as well as possible problems in following some thin levels during excavations over a large area and across many years of work in the cave vestibule interior, particularly in the absence of any layers that are culturally sterile or even poor. Nonetheless, the coherent age of the Initial Magdalenian is fully confirmed by a new date from Level 21 in the vestibule front at ca. 22,000–20,500 cal BP), as is the general age range of the Lower Magdalenian (ca. 20,500–18,000 cal BP). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While McLaughlin et. al. (2018) argue for similar trends in the medieval Irish historical record and the archaeological radiocarbon record, part of their results are due to an ad-hoc bandwidth being used to calculate the kernel density estimates (KDEs).  This contribution looks at using a data-driven bandwidth to re-calculate the KDEs and also look at the first derivative of the KDEs. The results here indicate the radiocarbon record declines much sooner than the early 9th Century and not recovering again until the late 11th Century.  Comments are also noted on the Irish annals and the approach, for at least one region, on the use of radiocarbon dating.

The late Pleistocene to Holocene subaerial pyroclastic deposits of the Quill stratovolcano on the Caribbean island of St Eustatius form seven stratigraphic divisions. New radiocarbon ages of charcoal are presented for the second, third and seventh divisions in order to better constrain the Quill’s eruption history. Three samples from the same layer of Division 2 at two localities on the northeast coast yield ages of 18,020 ± 40 (1σ), 18,310 ± 45 and 18,490 ± 45 14C yr BP (∼19,800–20,600 yr cal BC). These are considerably younger (∼4400 yr) than a previously published result for this division. A single sample of Division 3 gave an age of 8090 14C yr BP (∼7100 yr cal BC) and overlaps with previously published 14C ages for this division. A charred root in the pyroclastic unit deposited by the last eruption of the Quill (Division 7) gave an age of 919 14C yr BP (∼1100–1200 yr cal AD). This result is ∼600 years younger than a previously published age, and its origin is attributed to human activity. The timing of the last eruption of the Quill therefore remains poorly constrained but is older than 600 AD. Terrestrial gastropods found in paleosols and organic material found in small streams that developed in Division 3 indicate that Division 4 must be younger than 6100 ± 500 yr cal BC. The oxygen and carbon isotope composition of the terrestrial gastropods derived from Division 3 paleosols indicates that the C4 and CAM-type vegetation was dominant and that the climate subsequently changed to wetter conditions. The minimum eruption frequency for the Quill volcano is one eruption every ∼1400 years during the past 22,000 years. This eruption frequency of the Quill volcano is of the same order of magnitude as other recent northern Lesser Antilles volcanoes, Soufrière Hills (Montserrat, ∼5000 years) and Mt Liamuiga (St. Kitts, ∼2500 years).

Issues of radiocarbon chronology of Post-Catacomb cultural communities of the Volga region and Volga-Urals are considered in the article. They are represented by sites of the Volga-Don Babino culture and the Volga-Ural cultural group, which went through two completely synchronous stages in their development. The 14C data analysis makes it possible to date the Post-Catacomb antiquities in these regions within the 22nd –20th centuries BC. Comparison of the radiocarbon dates of the Volga-Don Babino culture and the Volga-Ural cultural group with the dates of the Middle Don Catacomb culture of the Middle Bronze Age and chariot cultural communities of the early Late Bronze Age shows that the Post-Catacomb sites followed the Catacomb ones and preceded the Pokrovka, Potapovka, and Sintashta antiquities.

The study of human evolution and cultural patterns relies on empirical evidence provided by the archaeological record. Accessing dependable archaeological data from scholarly publications can often be challenging due to the variability in site documentation and the diversity of academic practices in publication processes. This study presents a comprehensive synthesis of the published literature documenting dated and undated archaeological materials from the Middle Stone Age and Later Stone Age in Northwest Africa, notably Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. No previously published open-access database exists for these chronocultural periods in the region. Our dataset encompasses 993 sites and 1152 dates spanning approximately 370,000 to 8,000 years ago. Through a critical evaluation of the dates, we reveal qualitative and quantitative disparities and highlight the potential of the current archaeological record. While only ~10% of sites are dated and ~4.5% have reliable dates associated with a human occupation, this database holds significant potential for demographic and taxonomic meta-analyses as well as for methodological studies associated with chronological data in archaeology.

This paper presents the first review of biases impacting Pleistocene and Holocene radiocarbon dates from Central Africa. Based on the pooling of the research expertise of the co-authors, twenty-four biases are listed, explained and documented and their impact on any radiocarbon date corpus demonstrated. To achieve this, a new corpus has been created of 1764 radiocarbon and TL assays from 601 archaeological sites published in the literature. Each date has been checked for its context. The irregular dynamics of research in space and time seriously impact the end result of previous analyses aiming to achieve a regional understanding of past demographic fluctuations. While peaks in the number of dates from the late Holocene seem to correspond to a positive demographic trend, it is suggested that the declines identified cannot be of any such use for the time being and that today's picture does not presently support claims of a population "crash" at a regional or local level for any time period. The numbers are obscured by overall research deficits identifiable throughout the region. The maps of the dated sites presented offer good evidence of this and illustrate the vast expanses where no archaeological research has yet been carried out. The number of radiocarbon dates in Central Africa is more an indicator of the effort archaeologists have put into understanding a settlement than it is of ancient demographics. Successive waves of incoming people since c. 3500–3000 cal. BP, the two most important ones known since the 1990s, have created a cultural mosaic of coexisting technological groups. The last 40 years of research have revealed the inner complexity of these waves, some of which avoided parts of the region for centuries, thereby creating an irregular cultural mosaic of land use that is outlined by patterning in the radiocarbon dates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NeoNet Atlantic dataset complements the NeoNet Mediterranean dataset by providing new curated radiocarbon dates for the study of the pioneer farming front (i.e. Neolithisation, ca. 7500 to 3500 cal BC) in the Southern European Atlantic Coast river basin (Portugal, Western Spain, Southwestern France). The complete dataset is formed by the id00164_doc_elencoc14.tsv file, a data frame with tab-separated values, and a related dataframe: id00164_doc_thesaurus.tsv. The dataset contains 1,143 radiocarbon dates from 254 archaeological sites and 817 different archaeological contexts (stratigraphic units, structures, negative features, hearths, etc.) informed by 233 bibliographical references. As for the NeoNet Mediterranean dataset, particular attention has been paid to homogenisation of the laboratory code, the archaeological context, and the references, in order to facilitate further data extractions. Indeed, the dataset is linked to an open source R Shiny interactive web app (NeoNet app), a series of functions hosted on GitHub, and a getter function (R package c14bazAAr, R function get_c14data(“neonetatl”).

The problems regarding hunter-gatherer/early farmer interactions are quite an important topic in southeast European archaeology. According to the available data, the two economic subsistence systems have coexisted for some 2000 years during the 6th–4th millennia cal BC (Telegin 1985; Lillie et al., 2001). In some areas, hunter-gatherer and early farmer sites are located just a few kilometers apart. The Southern Buh River valley has yielded evidence of Linear Pottery culture, early Trypillia and Trypillia B1 Neolithic settlements as well as hunter-gatherer sites with pottery attributable to the so-called sub-Neolithic or para-Neolithic (Haskevych et al., 2019; Kiosak et al., 2021). Trial-trenches have been opened within some of these sites, which have been radiocarbon-dated from Bern University laboratory (LARA). Soil samples for micromorphological analysis have been collected from these sites to interpret their paleogenetic formation. The soil development is attested since, at least, the beginning of the 5th mill BC, followed by the developed of chernozem soils, which was interrupted by an erosional episode in the end of 5th millennium BC. The available data show that the soils of early farmers arable as are the present day ones. The early farmers were able to exploit relatively heavy soils to cultivate wheat and barley as early as 5250–5050 cal BC. In contrast, the sites of ceramic hunter-gatherers were often located on the soils which formed under wet conditions along seasonally flooded riverbanks, which were almost unsuitable for agricultural practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we preset the first systematic archaeological surveys in the Iguazú National Park. As a result, we detected several surficial and stratigraphic sites just nearby the Iguazú falls, showing the great archaeological potential of the area. Two radiocarbon dates were obtained including the earliest date registered in Misiones province. The detection of nine new archaeological sites located on different environments and the establishment of absolute chronologies allow us to take the first steps to address the temporal and spatial variability of the archaeological signal in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last decade saw a rapid increase in the number of studies where time–frequency changes of radiocarbon dates have been used as a proxy for inferring past population dynamics. Although its universal and straightforward premise is appealing and undoubtedly offers some unique opportunities for research on long-term comparative demography, practical applications are far from trivial and riddled with issues pertaining to the very nature of the proxy under examination. Here I review the most common criticisms concerning the nature of radiocarbon time–frequency data as a demographic proxy, focusing on key statistical and inferential challenges. I then examine and compare recent methodological advances in the field by grouping them into three approaches: reconstructive, null-hypothesis significance testing, and model fitting. I will then conclude with some general recommendations for applying these techniques in archaeological and paleo-demographic research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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We present a radiocarbon database for the Japanese archipelago compiled from over 5,500 site excavation reports covering a chronological span from 55,000 BP to the present day. The complete database in Japanese contains over 44,000 entries, providing contextual information directly obtained from descriptions provided in the site reports. Here we provide a curated English translation of the database, containing a subset of 39,284 dates from the original database, which excludes duplicates and errors and includes new information concerning the dated material.

The dataset described in this paper presents an annotated compilation of absolute dates obtained from archaeological sites located in northern Iberia corresponding broadly to the Cantabrian region (Spain). It consists mainly of radiocarbon dates chronologically framed between 45–30 ka BP. This is the period when the last Neanderthals disappeared and the first Anatomically Modern Humans dispersed into northern Iberia, widely considered a key region for understanding the patterns and processes of this transition. Providing chronological information as well as serving as palaeodemographic proxies, this novel compilation facilitates new analyses of this key period. The dataset contains 224 dates from 37 archaeological sites and more than 87% of the dates included have been positively assessed for use. It is available at Github and linked to Zenodo with the aim to ensure accessibility, reproducibility and continued extension.

Main stages of the search for Paleolithic sites on the territory of the Kazan Volga region from the second half of the XIX century to the current moment are presented in the paper. According to the author, reliable data on the settlement of this territory in the Lower and Middle Paleolithic have not been received to date. At the same time, stratified Paleolithic sites discovered in 2018 – 2020 in the left bank of the Kama–Volga confluence open up the possibility of a comprehensive study of sites of the transition period from the Middle to the Upper Paleolithic here in the future. The first radiocarbon date obtained in the Kazan Volga region for the paleolithic and paleofaunal location of the Beganchik (about 47 thousand years ago) confirms the assumptions about the presence of an early cultural layer in this area of the confluence of the Volga and Kama. This layer has obviously a much older archaeological age than the sites of the Late Paleolithic and the Ust-Kama culture of the Paleolithic and Mesolithic transition, studied in the Kazan Volga region and the adjacent territory of the Middle Volga region.

The radiocarbon dating record from sites in the territory that comprises the Plurinational State of Bolivia has been previously included in datasets that are either obsolete, inaccurate, or incomplete. The Bolivian Radiocarbon Database compiles over three thousand radiocarbon dates produced in the context of archaeological and other paleo-scientific research. By conducting an exhaustive review and correcting various errors from previous regional datasets, this database currently incorporates the largest and most accurate information of radiocarbon dates from the country of Bolivia. In addition to describing how the data was collected and the structure of the database, here I also summarize some general patterns and emergent trends from this data.

Different chronological and archaeological indicators are synthesized to analyze the variability of the anthropic signal in three basins of the Puna of Salta, between ca. 11500 cal BP and 100 cal BP. This broad chronology is adequate to discuss different processes of change. Specifically, time series are considered based on the radiocarbon dates available in the Pastos Grandes, Pocitos and Ratones basins, and a macroregional comparison is made with similar series constructed for the whole of the Puna of Argentina. The complementarity between this information and the evidence gathered from different archaeological contexts contributes to the study of economic and technological changes and in the use of space and mobility, both in the Puna of Salta and in the highlands of the Northwestern Argentina in general. These processes are most notable from the late Middle Holocene and, mainly, during the Late Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dataset described in this work represents the first open-access compilation of uncalibrated radiocarbon dates for the archaeology of the Canary Islands (Spain). This collaborative ongoing dataset will be updated step by step with newly published radiocarbon dates. Finally, this database has a Shiny application hosted at the Universidad de la Laguna and is freely accessible.

New radiocarbon (14C) dates we obtained in our radiocarbon laboratory equipped with a liquid scintillation counter using BGO (Bi4Ge3012) tubes. The electronic stability of the counter gave a background below 0.2 cpm. Our 14C dates agree well with the interpretations done for the samples. Most of the results in these analyses were obtained on shell samples, charcoal samples, and tree leaves. Calibration of the dates with the appropriate software (Calib 7.0.4) allows better interpretation of the results and their importance in the studied regions. In this paper, we present 14C results from archaeological and environmental sites in Senegal, Mali, and Togo and report the results in our second laboratory date list. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents stratigraphic data and radiocarbon dates combined with Bayesian modeling from San Andrés in the Zapotitán Valley, El Salvador, focusing on the Campana Structure, the largest and longest-used monumental structure at the site. These data refine the regional chronology of the valley and provide insights into the emergence, development, and abandonment of this pivotal center in southeastern Mesoamerica and its potential links to three related volcanic eruptions: Ilopango, Loma Caldera, and El Boquerón. These distinct volcanic events had pronounced effects on local people who innovated new monumental construction projects and used new volcanic debris as construction material after major eruptions. It is suggested that these monumental public building projects played an important role in the post-disaster recovery of societies by helping foster a sense of corporate identity. The use of volcanic material in constructions at San Andrés and the building of these massive structures may also have helped keep these events alive in the communal memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to broaden the information available on the chronology of the Inca expansion in Collasuyu by analyzing all radiocarbon dates obtained in Argentina’s Inca sites. We evaluated and classified all the dates (n=178) into three different groups (G1, G2, and G3), according to the quantity and quality of contextual information, and the possibility of effectively verifying this information through published articles. The interpretation was mainly based on the dates showing the best information regarding the origin and context of the samples (28 of the G1, and 36 of the G2). Our results indicate that the Inca advance started towards the beginnings of 15th Century AD in the northernmost part of Argentina and rapidly continued southwards, probably reaching the province of Mendoza some 50 years later. This study confirms the differences between the ethnohistoric chronology and the radiocarbon data, previously pointed out by other authors. Moreover, it suggests a sequence of at least three stages in which the Incas would have incorporated the existing territories until ca. 24°, 28°, and 34° 30' S, respectively. This is the first global study of Inca chronology in Argentina, and the first time that dates are classified to determine their level of context information and reliability.

This paper presents new results of radiocarbon (14C) ages from archaeological sites in northern Igboland. The study was designed to shed more light on early human occupation and activities in the study area based on sediments from cave and iron-smelting sites. The approach consisted of ethnographic, archaeological, palynological, and slag analyses; these were complemented with 14C dates. The technology adopted as well as the paleoenvironmental conditions that prevailed during the period of human settlement in both sites was revealed. These data, complemented by 14C dates, highlight the human behavioral and subsistence patterns within the region and are comparable to those from similar sites in southeastern Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite its long-standing assumption of the spread of early pottery innovated by the Late-Glacial hunter-gatherers in Japan, cultural diffusion as an explanatory model has not explicitly tested. This study addresses the question of the extent to which cultural diffusion played a role in proliferating the innovated early pottery technology across the Japanese Archipelago by employing the distance decay model of cultural diffusion. Based on the assembled dataset of the Late-Glacial assemblages with early pottery radiocarbon dates, distances between the presumed core where the earliest dates were obtained (i.e., Odaiyamamoto I) and the adopted sites do not exhibit the time-progressive pattern. In contrast, frequencies of potsherds relative to lithic artifacts increases as time progressed, implying that early pottery technology was gradually accumulated nearly by the end of the Younger Dryas, ca, 11,000 cal. BP. This study demonstrates that cultural diffusion does not fully explain the emergence and spread of early pottery in Japan, while the Late-Glacial travel and exchange networks enabled hunter-gatherers to transmit and accumulate knowledge of pottery use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the Early Neolithic chambered tombs of the Isle of Man are well known and the Late Neolithic has been clearly defined with reference to a distinctive suite of artefacts, little is known about the Middle Neolithic. This article reports on 17 new Neolithic radiocarbon dates from cremated human remains from the Isle of Man. These identify five burials in cists as Middle Neolithic and indicate new sequences of activity at cemeteries starting in the Middle Neolithic. Each of these sites is examined in detail. The dates also spur a reconsideration of the development of Ronaldsway pottery and the integration of Grooved Ware pottery and motifs into early 3rd millennium practice on the island. The paper ends with a consideration of the changing effects of mortuary practices throughout the Neolithic on the Isle of Man and a discussion of connections with Middle and Late Neolithic activity in Ireland and Britain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several gravity cores and vibro-cores were recovered from selected sites in the inner sector of Ría de Ferrol, NW Iberia (Muñoz Sobrino et al., 2021) [1]. These sediment cores were obtained during the surveys ECOMER-2014 and ECOMER-2015, developed from 2014 to 2015 on-board the R/V Mytilus (Consejo Superior de Investigación Científica) and the Amarradores Mil (Amarradores del Puerto y Ría de Ferrol, S.L.), respectively. Sedimentary and other multiproxy data presented here belong to four selected sediment cores located in the innermost part of the study area. Two were recovered using a gravity corer and another two using a vibro-corer. The depth of the cores and samples obtained is referred to the NMMA (the mean sea level in Alicante), which is the Spanish orthometric datum. One half of each core was subjected to non-destructive analysis using an ITRAX core scanner providing X-ray fluorescence (XRF) elemental data. Particle size distribution was characterised by laser diffraction. For radiocarbon dating, well-preserved articulated valves, small remains of wood and very organic bulk sediment from one location free of biogenic gas were selected. Palynological analyses were performed on selected sections of the sediment. All samples were spiked with Lycopodium spores for absolute palynomorph estimation and analysed using 400x and 600x magnifications. The ratio of dinoflagellate cyst concentrations to pollen, fern spore and dinoflagellate cyst concentrations (D/P ratio, ranging between 0 and 1) was calculated for each sample to show the temporal variation. Combined seismic, lithological, elemental, chronological and palynological data enable reconstructing the environmental changes that occurred during the local marine transgression. Besides, the combination of evidence identified may also be applied to other areas or periods in order to perform local reconstructions of changing coastal ecosystems. This type of high-resolution spatial-temporal reconstructions of past changes in estuarine environments may be a valuable tool for modelling, predicting and managing the changes and threats linked to the global warming and sea-level rise associated.

The NeoNet dataset aims to provide a new research tool for the study of the pioneer farming front (i.e. Neolithisation) in the North Central and North Western Mediterranean basin by focusing on the period of transition from a foraging to a farming economy (ca. 7000 to 3500 cal BC). The complete dataset is formed by the elencoc14.tsv file, a dataframe with tab-separated values, and a connex dataframe: thesaurus.tsv. The dataset contains 2,506 radiocarbon dates from 526 archaeological sites and 1,769 different archaeological records (stratigraphic units, structures, negative features, hearths, etc.). To ensure and facilitate the reuse of the radiocarbon dates, NeoNet’s data structure is based on the Euroevol database layout. Among other fields, particular attention has been paid to homogenisation of the laboratory code, the archaeological context, and the references, in order to facilitate further data extractions. Indeed, the dataset is linked to an opensource R Shiny interactive web app (NeoNet app), and a getter function (R package c14bazAAr, R function get_neonet).

To our knowledge, the dataset described in this paper represents the largest existing repository of uncalibrated radiocarbon dates for the whole Near East from the Late Pleistocene to the Late Holocene (15,000 – 1,500 cal. yr. BP). It is composed of 11,027 radiocarbon dates from 1,023 sites that have been collected comprehensively by cross-checking multiple sources (extant digital archives and databases, edited volumes, monographs, journals papers, archaeological excavation reports, etc.) under the umbrella of the Leverhulme Trust funded project “Changing the Face of the Mediterranean” and of the ERC project “CLASS – Climate, Landscape, Settlement and Society: Exploring Human-Environment Interaction in the Ancient Near East”. This is an ongoing dataset that will be updated step by step with newly published radiocarbon dates.

The problems regarding hunter-gatherer/early farmer interactions are quite an important topic in southeast European archaeology. According to the available data, the two economic subsistence systems have coexisted for some 2000 years during the 6th–4th millennia cal BC (Telegin 1985; Lillie et al., 2001). In some areas, hunter-gatherer and early farmer sites are located just a few kilometers apart. The Southern Buh River valley has yielded evidence of Linear Pottery culture, early Trypillia and Trypillia B1 Neolithic settlements as well as hunter-gatherer sites with pottery attributable to the so-called sub-Neolithic or para-Neolithic (Haskevych et al., 2019; Kiosak et al., 2021). Trial-trenches have been opened within some of these sites, which have been radiocarbon-dated from Bern University laboratory (LARA). Soil samples for micromorphological analysis have been collected from these sites to interpret their paleogenetic formation. The soil development is attested since, at least, the beginning of the 5th mill BC, followed by the developed of chernozem soils, which was interrupted by an erosional episode in the end of 5th millennium BC. The available data show that the soils of early farmers arable as are the present day ones. The early farmers were able to exploit relatively heavy soils to cultivate wheat and barley as early as 5250–5050 cal BC. In contrast, the sites of ceramic hunter-gatherers were often located on the soils which formed under wet conditions along seasonally flooded riverbanks, which were almost unsuitable for agricultural practices.

The dataset described in this paper represents the largest and most comprehensive collection of radiocarbon dates from the Czech Republic to date. The dataset offers 1579 samples from 357 archaeological sites dating from the Early Mesolithic (10,000 BC) to AD 1250. Published in a simple spreadsheet format, it offers researchers a quick tool for further analyses.

The Mesoamerican Radiocarbon Database (MesoRAD) compiles radiocarbon dates from the archaeological literature of Mesoamerica. The inaugural data set, ‘Lowland Maya Dates’, includes 1846 radiocarbon dates from 132 sites in 21 distinct environmental zones in the Maya lowlands. These data span the Paleoindian to Colonial Periods (11,670 to 190 uncal BP, 13,740 cal BP to modern) across southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. Here, we describe the methods used to compile and organize these dates, including the spatial, chronological, and environmental coverage of the data set.

Populations of the freshwater mussels Unio crassus and U. tumidus have declined significantly over many decades. The river Vantaanjoki, at their northern limit in southern Finland, has yielded a number of empty hinged shells of U. crassus (39 shells) and U. tumidus (71 shells), which have been studied visually for taphonomical features. All of the shells are to some degree affected by taphonomical processes, particularly dissolution and fragmentation. These death assemblages of Unio shells are time-averaged as suggested by their radiocarbon (14C) dates, with consequences for the expected temporal resolution of both death and fossil assemblages. Although the shells are of different ontogenetic and post-mortem ages, there are no distinct differences in their preservation. Considering both taphonomical features and 14C dating, time-averaged death assemblages, which might illustrate the time-evolving anthropogenic changes of the river environment over the last centuries, should with some caution be compared with modern populations for conservation evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bayesian modelling of radiocarbon dates directly integrates information obtained through archaeological analysis. Here, I explain how to add known information/reasonable assumptions about the length of a deposition phase, using the example of date sequences from two Early Neolithic communities in the Aegean whose dating has been hotly debated, i.e. basal Knossos (Crete) and Nea Nikomedeia (Northern Greece). The consequences of the re-evaluation of their dates are discussed for the broader picture of the Neolithisation in the Aegean and for the chronology of the regional use of stamps.

Analizamos los datos cronológicos del registro funerario del yacimiento de Las Mayores, Toledo, un poblado de estructuras subterráneas que incluyen enterramientos. Las fechas obtenidas en su necrópolis campaniforme certifican la ocupación del enclave durante el III milenio a.C. El resto de los enterramientos se sitúan en el Bronce medio. El modelo bayesiano confirma una interrupción del registro temporal de casi medio siglo, que pone en evidencia las dificultades de interpretar las secuencias de ocupación de estos enclaves considerados como permanentes, con ocupaciones reiteradas o recurrentes en el mismo espacio. Yacimientos equiparables en tipología y decurso cronológico del entorno inmediato no muestran la misma discontinuidad en sus secuencias y sí una cierta contracción en el cambio del III al II milenio a. C. coincidiendo con la emergencia de nuevos poblados lo que sugiere una reorganización poblacional que atenúa la idea de un cambio abrupto en la región.

During the past several decades, the paleoecology of the Mammuthus-Coelodonta Faunal Complex in the Palearctic has been thoroughly explored, especially using stable isotope analysis. Numerous studies have documented high ecological plasticity and regional heterogeneities for this fauna. However, very limited attention has focused on Northeast Asia, at the southeastern edge of the distribution of the mammoth steppe biome. In the present study, we undertook radiocarbon dating, zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry (ZooMS), and stable isotope analysis on the fossil faunas from Yanjiagang Paleolithic site, Northeast (NE) China, and from the Geographical Society Cave in the nearby Russian Far East, to explore the paleoecology of this fauna in this middle-latitude region. Isotopic (δ 13C, δ 15N) data from these two sites suggested that the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) was a grazer feeding on grasses/sedges, while the woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis) and steppe bison (Bison priscus) utilized a wider range of food resources. All megaherbivores exhibited some ecological plasticity. Meanwhile, the mammal remains from Geographical Society Cave prevalently exhibited lower δ 15N values than those from China, indicating variable environments and vegetation in Northeast Asia during MIS 3. Interestingly, through reevaluating the diachronic mammal distribution and ecology based on direct radiocarbon dating and ZooMS, we report the credible presence of Bubalus , typically interpreted as a mild climate faunal element in the Pleistocene, within the Mammuthus-Coelodonta Faunal Complex in Yanjiagang. This emphasizes the unique scenario of this biome in Northeast Asia, where the fauna exhibited sensitivity to synergic effects of climatic oscillations and local geographic traits. After comparing isotopic data of mammoth from different subregions of Asia, we found that NE China displayed both highest δ 13C and δ 15N values, possibly related to the higher temperature compared to the Arctic regions. This study reveals the characteristics and complexity at the southeastern limit of the range of the mammoth steppe biome and urges more systematic studies within and outside this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present results of the macrobotanical remains from an Early Iron Age site Rithi Ranjana in the Vidarbha region, Maharashtra, India. Analysis of 34 floated samples indicates that the likely staple foodgrains were Oryza sativa, Hordeum vulgare and Triticum aestivum. Besides, few minor crops, pulses and oil/fibre-yielding plants have been retrieved. In addition, there is evidence of fruits like Carissa sp., Ziziphus nummularia and Emblica sp., which may have been gathered by the ancient settlers for consumption. The macro-botanical finds indicate the presence of winter and summer crops. Few weeds and other wild taxa as an admixture with the above economically important remains were also retrieved. The AMS radiocarbon dates of the plant remains and recovered archaeological artifacts support the affirmation of Early Iron Age cultural period at the site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La culture de la céramique perforée (Pitted Ware culture, PWC) continue d'attirer l'attention des scientifiques. Appartenant à la période néolithique définie par l'avènement de l'agriculture, le phénomène PWC rompt avec notre conception traditionnelle de l'évolution culturelle et sociale, en incarnant le retour ou la continuation du mode de vie des chasseurs-cueilleurs. Pour comprendre cette apparente anomalie, il est essentiel de pouvoir restituer la chronologie de la PWC: Quand et où ce phénomène a-t-il émergé pour la première fois? Comment s'est-il répandu? Quand et pourquoi s'est-il éteint? Afin de clarifier ces questions, le présent article décrit le plus grand échantillonnage jamais assemblé de sites PWC, localisés à travers toute la Scandinavie et bénéficiant de datations radiocarbones recalibrées et corrigées. Sur plus de 900 datations 14C collectées, nous fument en mesure de surmonter les nombreux obstacles engendrés par la limitation de dates individuelles obtenues sur des sites uniques, qui entravent bien trop souvent l'interprétation et empêchent toute vision d'ensemble. En conséquence, nous sommes maintenant en mesure de présenter un modèle montrant la propagation rapide de la PWC, depuis une origine supposée située dans le centre-est de la Suède (env. 3400 av. J.-C.) vers les vastes zones essentiellement côtières de la péninsule scandinave et du nord-est du Danemark. Cette propagation rapide peut être expliquée par l'intégration de la PWC dans les réseaux d'échange de silex à longue distance. La fin du phénomène PWC, datée aux environs de 2200 cal av. J.-C.) peut être considérée comme une conséquence de l'intensification de l'agriculture et de son expansion vers le nord durant le néolithique tardif. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a compilation of radiocarbon dates associated with the process of arrival, development and consolidation of the first farming communities that settled between the north-western Mediterranean Arch and the High Rhine area approximately between 5900 and 2000 cal BC covering a large geographical area previously out of the main focus of 14C data compilations. The database includes dates from scientific publications and it incorporates several fields for evaluating the quality and the reliability of the available samples. It overall provides 3617 radiocarbon dates that allow the scientific community to build chronological models that can be combined with other proxies such as spatial location, type of sample or chronocultural phase.

Radiocarbon-date assemblages are commonly used as proxies for past human and environmental phenomena. Prominent examples of target phenomena include past population levels and sea level fluctuations. These processes are thought to have affected the amount of organic carbon deposited into the archaeological and/or palaeoenvironmental record. Time-series representing through-time fluctuations in the frequency of radiocarbon samples are, therefore, often used as proxies for such processes. However, there are critical problems with using radiocarbon "dates-as-data" in point-wise comparisons and these problems have gone largely underappreciated. The key problem is that the established proxies are easily misinterpreted. They conflate process variation and chronological uncertainty, which makes them unsuitable for point-wise comparisons aimed at identifying rates of change, comparing variables directly, or estimating parameters in regression models. Here we explore the interpretive and analytical problems in detail in an effort to raise awareness and promote skepticism about the use of the established proxies in point-wise comparisons. We also provide suggestions for future research and point to potential methodological alternatives that may improve the viability of dates-as-data approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The so-called neolithization process (ca. 6000/5500–4000 BC) in Mediterranean Africa and the Sahara has been increasingly researched in recent years. In contrast, relatively little is known, especially in Mediterranean Africa, of the period between the beginnings of irreversible climatic deterioration in the Sahara, around 4000–3500 BC, and the onset of Iron Age to broadly Classical times. Why, with the exception of the Nile Delta, is our knowledge of the period between the fourth millennium BC and the threshold of the first Iron Age Phoenician and Greek colonies so limited? To what extent can this information gap be attributed to aridification in the Mediterranean zone, or is it rather a product of the failure to look for the right kinds of materials and sites, and of their relative visibility? In order to answer these questions, this paper focuses specifically on Mediterranean Africa (with the exception of Egypt) from about 4000 BC to ca. 900 BC. It is mainly based on the data made available on MedAfriCarbon, a spatially linked, publicly accessible database and web app comprising the 14C chronometric evidence from Mediterranean Africa from 12,000 to 600 cal. BC, with details of associated cultural and economic information. Analysis of these data shows that most of Mediterranean Africa beyond the Nile was occupied to different extents throughout the 3000-year period covered in this article and that, with a few important exceptions, the robust and resilient nature of local, mainly pastoral, ways of life militated against a shift towards a fully agricultural economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]