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METHODOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN THE LUMINESCENCE DATING OF BRICK FROM ENGLISH LATE‐MEDIEVAL AND POST‐MEDIEVAL BUILDINGS *
Author(s) -
BAILIFF I. K.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
archaeometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.716
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1475-4754
pISSN - 0003-813X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-4754.2007.00338.x
Subject(s) - brick , thermoluminescence dating , archaeology , optically stimulated luminescence , luminescence , quartz , geology , reliability (semiconductor) , mineralogy , geography , materials science , paleontology , physics , power (physics) , optoelectronics , quantum mechanics
Fired clay brick samples, obtained from a group of seven high‐status late‐medieval and post‐medieval buildings in England ranging in age fromc.ad 1390 to 1740, were dated by the luminescence method using an optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) technique. The results obtained indicate that, when applied to quartz extracted from brick, the technique is capable of producing dates that are in consistently good agreement with independent dating evidence for the buildings. For six samples taken from a group of four dating ‘control’ buildings the mean difference between the central values of luminescence and assigned ages was 5 ± 10 years (SD, n = 6). The methodology used is appropriate for application to other standing buildings in other temporal and geographic regions, and may be used with confidence where conventional dating methods are less certain. The study also examines the luminescence characteristics of quartz and the characteristics of the lithogenic radionuclides in brick samples and identifies various aspects related to the assessment of experimental uncertainty in testing the reliability of the method.