Open AccessSeeking the Holy Grail
Author(s) -
Eszter Bánffy,
Alex Bayliss,
Anthony Denaire,
Bisserka Gaydarska,
Daniela Hofmann,
Philippe Lefranc,
János Jakucs,
Miroslav Marić,
Krisztián Oross,
Nenad Tasić,
Alasdair Whittle
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
documenta praehistorica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.587
H-Index - 17
eISSN - 1854-2492
pISSN - 1408-967X
DOI - 10.4312/dp.45.10
Subject(s) - radiocarbon dating , rigour , taphonomy , archaeology , holy grail , history , philosophy , computer science , epistemology , world wide web
The strengths of formal Bayesian chronological modelling are restated, combining as it does knowledge of the archaeology with the radiocarbon dating of carefully chosen samples of known taphonomy in association with diagnostic material culture. The risks of dating bone samples are reviewed, along with a brief history of the development of approaches to the radiocarbon dating of bone. In reply to Strien (2017), selected topics concerned with the emergence and aftermath of the LBK are discussed, as well as the early Vinča, Ražište and Hinkelstein sequences. The need for rigour in an approach which combines archaeology and radiocarbon dating is underlined.