Pottery versus sediment: Optically stimulated luminescence dating of the Neolithic Vinča culture, Serbia

Stephen Bate; Thomas Stevens; Jan-Pieter Buylaert; Slobodan B. Marković; Per Roos; Nenad Tasić

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2014.09.042

Pottery versus sediment: Optically stimulated luminescence dating of the Neolithic Vinča culture, Serbia

Stephen Bate, Thomas Stevens, Jan-Pieter Buylaert, Slobodan B. Marković, Per Roos, Nenad Tasić

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Abstract

Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating was applied to the Neolithic Vinča culture's type-site, Vinča Belo-Brdo, to establish best protocols for routine luminescence dating of similar Holocene sites, critical in understanding Neolithic to Chalcolithic cultural development. Equivalent dose (De) values were investigated for sediment samples using 63–90 μm grains on large and small aliquots, and single-grain laser luminescence (SGLL), and for pottery samples using large aliquots of 4–11 μm grains. The effects of changing water content and the different techniques available to establish radionuclide concentration were explored for their impacts on dose rate (Dr) estimates.

Ages for two pottery samples of 6.74 ± 0.37 ka and 7.04 ± 0.47 ka are in line with the existing AMS radiocarbon chronology for the site and are regarded as the best dates available. Sediment samples at Vinča show poor signal strength, and the uncertainty over past water content, in addition to the possibility of mixing and/or partial bleaching of the quartz, means that we do not recommend the use of sediment-derived ages at complex archaeological sites such as Vinča. OSL dating of fired pottery however, presents a powerful tool for generating independent chronologies at archaeological sites as well as providing additional constraints for Bayesian age models.

Original language	English
Journal	Quaternary International
Volume	429
Issue number	Part A
Pages (from-to)	45-53
ISSN	1040-6182
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2014.09.042
Publication status	Published - 2017

Keywords

Neolithic
OSL
Pottery
Single grain
Vinča

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title = "Pottery versus sediment: Optically stimulated luminescence dating of the Neolithic Vin{\v c}a culture, Serbia",

abstract = "Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating was applied to the Neolithic Vin{\v c}a culture's type-site, Vin{\v c}a Belo-Brdo, to establish best protocols for routine luminescence dating of similar Holocene sites, critical in understanding Neolithic to Chalcolithic cultural development. Equivalent dose (De) values were investigated for sediment samples using 63–90 μm grains on large and small aliquots, and single-grain laser luminescence (SGLL), and for pottery samples using large aliquots of 4–11 μm grains. The effects of changing water content and the different techniques available to establish radionuclide concentration were explored for their impacts on dose rate (Dr) estimates.Ages for two pottery samples of 6.74 ± 0.37 ka and 7.04 ± 0.47 ka are in line with the existing AMS radiocarbon chronology for the site and are regarded as the best dates available. Sediment samples at Vin{\v c}a show poor signal strength, and the uncertainty over past water content, in addition to the possibility of mixing and/or partial bleaching of the quartz, means that we do not recommend the use of sediment-derived ages at complex archaeological sites such as Vin{\v c}a. OSL dating of fired pottery however, presents a powerful tool for generating independent chronologies at archaeological sites as well as providing additional constraints for Bayesian age models.",

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author = "Stephen Bate and Thomas Stevens and Jan-Pieter Buylaert and Markovi{\'c}, {Slobodan B.} and Per Roos and Nenad Tasi{\'c}",

year = "2017",

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T1 - Pottery versus sediment: Optically stimulated luminescence dating of the Neolithic Vinča culture, Serbia

AU - Bate, Stephen

AU - Stevens, Thomas

AU - Buylaert, Jan-Pieter

AU - Marković, Slobodan B.

AU - Roos, Per

AU - Tasić, Nenad

PY - 2017

Y1 - 2017

N2 - Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating was applied to the Neolithic Vinča culture's type-site, Vinča Belo-Brdo, to establish best protocols for routine luminescence dating of similar Holocene sites, critical in understanding Neolithic to Chalcolithic cultural development. Equivalent dose (De) values were investigated for sediment samples using 63–90 μm grains on large and small aliquots, and single-grain laser luminescence (SGLL), and for pottery samples using large aliquots of 4–11 μm grains. The effects of changing water content and the different techniques available to establish radionuclide concentration were explored for their impacts on dose rate (Dr) estimates.Ages for two pottery samples of 6.74 ± 0.37 ka and 7.04 ± 0.47 ka are in line with the existing AMS radiocarbon chronology for the site and are regarded as the best dates available. Sediment samples at Vinča show poor signal strength, and the uncertainty over past water content, in addition to the possibility of mixing and/or partial bleaching of the quartz, means that we do not recommend the use of sediment-derived ages at complex archaeological sites such as Vinča. OSL dating of fired pottery however, presents a powerful tool for generating independent chronologies at archaeological sites as well as providing additional constraints for Bayesian age models.

AB - Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating was applied to the Neolithic Vinča culture's type-site, Vinča Belo-Brdo, to establish best protocols for routine luminescence dating of similar Holocene sites, critical in understanding Neolithic to Chalcolithic cultural development. Equivalent dose (De) values were investigated for sediment samples using 63–90 μm grains on large and small aliquots, and single-grain laser luminescence (SGLL), and for pottery samples using large aliquots of 4–11 μm grains. The effects of changing water content and the different techniques available to establish radionuclide concentration were explored for their impacts on dose rate (Dr) estimates.Ages for two pottery samples of 6.74 ± 0.37 ka and 7.04 ± 0.47 ka are in line with the existing AMS radiocarbon chronology for the site and are regarded as the best dates available. Sediment samples at Vinča show poor signal strength, and the uncertainty over past water content, in addition to the possibility of mixing and/or partial bleaching of the quartz, means that we do not recommend the use of sediment-derived ages at complex archaeological sites such as Vinča. OSL dating of fired pottery however, presents a powerful tool for generating independent chronologies at archaeological sites as well as providing additional constraints for Bayesian age models.

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KW - OSL

KW - Pottery

KW - Single grain

KW - Vinča

U2 - 10.1016/j.quaint.2014.09.042

DO - 10.1016/j.quaint.2014.09.042

M3 - Journal article

SN - 1040-6182

VL - 429

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EP - 53

JO - Quaternary International

JF - Quaternary International

IS - Part A

ER -

Pottery versus sediment: Optically stimulated luminescence dating of the Neolithic Vinča culture, Serbia

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