No more Blind Dates: Enhancing Precision in Radiocarbon Dating – 4 September 2024
Date: 4 September 2024
Location: Energy Academy Europe, room 62 (ground floor), Nijenborgh 6, Groningen
Credits: 1 ECT
Introduction
One of the most common ambiguities in understanding human history stem from a poor understanding of chronologies of past events. Indeed, establishing past chronologies has always had crucial importance in archaeological research. While traditional methods like stratigraphy and ceramic typology offer valuable insights, radiocarbon dating (14C) stands out for its scientific, reproducible measurements. In addition, the introduction of Bayesian modelling of 14C dates has allowed unprecedented precision of radiocarbon chronologies.
This workshop will feature esteemed speakers from various institutes, presenting their ground-breaking research in the field of radiocarbon dating. Whether it is a breakthrough in the chronologies of early hominids, the Neolithic period, the Bronze Age or the Viking Age, our discussions will highlight the challenges encountered in chronological research and the innovative solutions used to address them.
Join us for a series of insightful talks exploring how radiocarbon dating, Bayesian modelling, and traditional archaeological methods intersect to deepen our understanding of the human past. This workshop aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and advance the field of archaeology through insights into the nuances of chronological research.
Programme
12:30 – 13:20 Registration and Coffee/Tea/Lunch (Winter garden @ Energy Academy. Lunch is only for the speakers. Participants will be referred to the university canteen and the food court.)
13:25 – 13:40 Welcome and introduction (Room 62)
Session 1, chair: Pir Hoebe
13:40 – 14:00 Lecture 1: Merita Dreshaj, Enhancing precision of radiocarbon chronologies with Bayesian modelling: a case study of early animal husbandry in the Dutch wetlands
14:00 – 14:20 Lecture 2: Margot Kuitems, A Decade of Exact Year Radiocarbon Dating
14:20 – 14:40 Lecture 3: Michael Dee, The Importance of Precision in Radiocarbon Dating: A Case Study of the Norse Westward Expansion
14:40 – 15:00 Discussion
15:00 – 15:30 Coffee break (Energy Academy lobby – follow the signs)
Session 2, chair: Merita Dreshaj
15:30 – 15:50 Lecture 4: Hans van der Plicht, 14C dating of shells: an unconventional approach
15:50 – 16:10 Lecture 5: Tom Higham, Tracking the earliest dispersals of Homo sapiens across Eurasia
16:10 – 16:30 Lecture 6: Rachel Wood, Attempts to build high precision chronologies for the first farmers in Vietnam
16:30 – 16:50 Lecture 7: Pınar Erdil, Towards a higher precision and accuracy in the chronology of the Aegean and the Near East in the second millennium BCE
16:50 – 17:20 Closing Remarks & Discussion
17:20 – 18:00 Tour of the Centre for Isotope Research
18:30 onwards, dinner for the speakers and organisers
Credits: ARCHON members can receive 1 ECT for attending the conference and handing in a reflection report afterwards.
Please reach out to the ARCHON secretary if you have any questions. We hope to see many of you there!
Registration:
