The following list summarizes the post-1970 laboratory results of 14C dating of ancient sea-level indicators from the coasts of the Soviet Union. One of the aims of the International Geologic Correlation Programme Project No. 61 “Sea level movements during the last deglacial hemicycle” is the global cataloguing and mapping of ancient sea levels. The laboratory, which acts as the USSR National curator for these age measurements obtains dates sampled from its own expeditions and from other institutions of the country.

In this paper, we discuss how the radiocarbon dating of soot on oil lamps can help determine the chronology of the Jewish catacombs of Rome. We also explore the ramifications of our work for the typological study of Roman period terracotta lamps.

This paper presents results of accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon (AMS 14C) dating of prehistoric samples (human and animal bones, cremated human bones, charcoals, and other charred plant macroremains) from archaeological sites located in the area of Dobużek Scarp, on the Sokal Ridge in central-eastern Poland (E Poland). The date list reports 46 14C age measurements performed within the project “The Dobużek Scarp Microregion as a part of a physiological and biocultural frontier between the Baltic and the Pontic zone (from the 6th to the 2nd millennium BC)” conducted in 2016–2021. The resulting 14C dates fall into quite a long interval, which in terms of the regional archaeological periodization lasts from the Middle Eneolithic to the Early Iron Age, and in terms of the climatological one corresponds with the Subboreal.

A human skeleton of phenomenal size was uncovered during the excavation of a prehistoric site located in the city of Shangnan, Shaanxi province, China, in 2006. The skeleton dates to 4240–4100 cal yr BP, corresponding to the Longshan culture (4400–4000 yr ago). The skeletal characteristics point to a young male 16–18 yr old with a height of 193 cm. This is the tallest skeleton ever discovered in prehistoric China, and thus we name him the “Longshan Giant.” The giant appears to be of the Mongoloid race and has many physical characteristics that are similar to those of modern southern Asians. Upon closer examination, 3 drilled holes of 5 cm in diameter were found in the right parietal bone of the skull. No rationale exists yet to explain the presence of these holes.

Manuscripts of 14C papers and date lists should follow the recommendations in “Suggestions to Authors of the Reports of the US Geological Survey,” 6th ed, 1978, Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. All copy, including the references, must be typewritten in double space: manuscripts must be submitted in duplicate. Computer print-out sheets may be used in letter-quality printing form. Manuscripts should be checked with meticulous care before they are submitted, for the author, not the editor, is finally responsible for errors other than those made by the printer. Revised manuscripts must be submitted in duplicate along with the original edited manuscript.

The South Arabian chronology has been problematic for a long time and this is also a true vexata quaestio for the ancient history of South Arabia. Three different chronologies have been suggested for the first literate phase of South Arabian cultures, which may date to the 11th century BC, the late 8th century BC, or the 5th century BC (see de Maigret 1996:157–63; de Maigret and Robin 1989: 276–8; Pirenne 1988; Robin 1997; Figure 1). At the site of Yalâ, potsherds with incised South Arabian inscriptions have been recovered in a stratum dating at least to the 8th century BC, if not earlier, and offer evidence of the existence of South Arabian culture at that time (de Maigret and Robin 1989:288–9).

GEOTOP is the geochemistry and geochronology research center of the Université du Quebec à Montréal (UQAM). The Radiocarbon Laboratory was established to meet the growing demand for radiocarbon dating in Québec. The laboratory was founded by Claude Hillaire-Marcel. The first measurements were completed in October 1978. The laboratory was managed by Pierre Pagé until May 1985. Serge Occhietti and Pierre Pichet are presently in charge. Technical maintenance is under the direction of Claude Jacob.

The following results represent measurements carried out since our second date list was prepared. The pretreatment of the samples and the production of pure CO2 followed the method described in Finland I.

The optimum operating conditions providing minimum run-time and running costs have been studied theoretically for a thermal diffusion plant to be used for the enrichment of the radiocarbon isotope from finite sample size.

The calculations are based on a simple approximate model of the enrichment process, regarding the isotope separation column as operating under quasi-stationary state conditions. The temporal variation of the isotope accumulation is given by a single exponential term. From comparison with the numerical solution of the separation tube equation, approximate models of this simple type appear hardly sufficient for analytical work but seem well suited for optimization calculations. For column operation not too close to the equilibrium state, the approximate run-times were found accurate within 0.2 d.

The approximate model has been applied to a column of the concentric type, operated on gaseous methane. Cross-section configuration and temperatures were not varied (hot and cold wall radii: 2.0 and 2.6cm, respectively; hot and cold wall temperatures: 400°C and 14°C, respectively). The column transport coefficients used were derived from measurements. Run-time was minimized by optimizing both the operating pressure and the sample collection mode for different total sample size (range studied: 24 to 100 g), mass of enriched sample (1.8, 2.4, and 3.0 g), enrichment factor (12, 15, and 20) and column length (8 to 18 m). Optimum working pressures are between 1 and 2 atm. Usually, about 90 percent of the enriched sample mass is extracted favorably from the column itself, the length of the sampling section being about 2.5 to 5 m. Typical runtimes are between 3 days and 2 weeks, and isotope yield may reach 90 percent.

Optimum operating conditions have also been calculated for other column configurations reported in literature and are compared with the experimental results.

Reliable radiocarbon (14C) ages of foraminifera are a prerequisite to generate robust high-resolution age-depth models or to obtain precise understanding of past carbon cycle dynamics. With the advance of small-scale 14C measurements, instrumental precision and levels of contamination (extraneous carbon introduced during sample pretreatment or analysis) became increasingly important to consider. To reduce the effect of carbon contamination, an attempt can be made to remove it by leaching the surface with weak acids. Alternatively, mathematical corrections (e.g., subtraction) based on processing blanks can be applied. We report on 14C analyses of monospecific foraminifera samples compared between different blank corrections (correction against 14C-free CO2, IAEA-C1 and foraminifera) and sample treatments (i) to examine whether chemical pretreatment and mathematical blank subtraction are comparable, and (ii) to determine limitations hindering reliable 14C dating with ever smaller sample sizes. The data show that chemical pretreatment of foraminifera corrected against IAEA-C1 does remove surface contamination and that the same effect can be achieved for untreated samples that were mathematically corrected for blank values determined from sample size-matched 14C-free foraminifera. Leaching only has a beneficial effect on 14C data for older samples, where the isotopic difference between untreated and chemically pretreated samples exceeds the analytical precision.

Stable carbon isotope ratios were measured on the alpha-cellulose in tree rings of a pine tree (Pinus densiflora) from Yeongwol, Korea. We developed an annual-resolution δ13C series (1835–1905) by correcting the measured data for changes in δ13C of air to minimize non-climatic influences. To investigate the climatic signal in the δ13C series, we performed correlation analysis between δ13C and the Cheugugi climate data. The Cheugugi precipitation data were first recorded by King Sejong (1397–1450) of the Joseon Dynasty. However, the longest set of precipitation data available is the one collected in Seoul (1776–1907). Although many studies support the reliability of the Cheugugi data, no previous studies have investigated the potential of the δ13C signal in tree rings as paleoclimate proxy using the Cheugugi data. Recent precipitation trends in Yeongwol are quite similar to that of Seoul, and we found significant correlations between the Cheugugi data and the δ13C series. We suggest further studies to replicate these results and confirm whether comparing δ13C variations in tree rings and Cheugugi data is a useful method of investigating the potential of the δ13C signal as a paleoclimate proxy in or near the Korean peninsula.

This paper includes determinations of archaeological samples coming from different sites and performed at the ENEA Radiocarbon Laboratory.

We converted to CO2 samples of organic materials, Quaternary carbonate rocks and carbonates extracted from groundwater. We measured 14C radioactivity in a proportional counter with an effective volume of 723ml filled to 0.28MPa. A mechanical box with an inside cylinder of a plastic scintillator, 4cm thick, arranged in anticoincidence provides the shielding. We present a review of radiocarbon ages of Quaternary and archaeological samples.

The Fragmenta membranea manuscript fragment collection at the National Library of Finland has proved challenging to date using only traditional paleography. Therefore, radiocarbon dates can contribute to the understanding of these fragments by offering a parallel natural scientific timeline for the parchment the manuscripts are written on. In this study, we apply our previously developed method for radiocarbon dating medieval manuscripts made of parchment. In total 35 datings were made from 14 separate assemblages of manuscripts, being the first systematic wide-scale application of radiocarbon dating to a collection of medieval manuscripts in order to improve their chronological proxy. Additionally, due to the fragmentary and sometimes poor condition of the manuscript fragments of Fragmenta membranea analyzed in this study, we used Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to evaluate the quality of the collagen and the presence of contaminants in the fragments affecting the radiocarbon dates. We report out radiocarbon dating results and FTIR screenings for each sample and for each manuscript assemblage, and discuss the applicability of our method in further studies of applying radiocarbon dating on objects of cultural historical interest and value. The results indicate an essential role of high-quality samples and multiple measurements to interpret the radiocarbon dating results.

With the advent of AMS radiocarbon dating of very small samples, a much greater opportunity now exists for research into specialized materials. Investigations of the proteins of bone and teeth for archaeological purposes suggest that much more information might be obtained by appropriate study of individual proteins in these tissues. Although present research seems limited to 14C dating, racemization and dietary selection, conditions of the environment during preservation and some of the physiological events during life are likely to be discernible through further studies.

Radiocarbon measurements on the carbonaceous aerosol fractions are an effective tool for aerosol source apportionment. For these measurements, a new sample preparation line (MISSMARPLE: MIlan Small-SaMple Automated Radiocarbon Preparation LinE for atmospheric aerosol) was built in Milan (Italy). MISSMARPLE can separate different carbon fractions (i.e. total carbon (TC), elemental carbon (EC)), automates the sample combustion processes and the CO2 isolation in the “combustion line”, and was designed to handle small samples, of about 50 μg carbon. The CO2 obtained in the combustion line is then reduced to graphite in the graphitization line for subsequent accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) analysis at the INFN-LABEC in Sesto Fiorentino (Italy). MISSMARPLE was tested for reproducibility of 14C/12C ratio in primary standard samples, for background contamination by the analysis of blank samples (graphite with zero percent Modern Carbon (pMC)), and for accuracy by the analysis of IAEA-C7 for pMC(TC) and NIST RM8785 for pMC(EC) used as secondary standards. Measurements were carried out in different AMS runs. Reproducibility of 14C/12C was within 1.2%; blank values were down to 2.2 ± 0.2 pMC in the latest AMS run, and both IAEA-C7 and NIST RM8785 measurements were within 1σ with the reference value (but for one IAEA-C7 sample within 2.3σ). These results point to MISSMARPLE as a new, valuable tool for aerosol sample preparation for radiocarbon measurements to be exploited not only on traditional 24-h samples but also when small carbon quantities are available (e.g. collected at remote sites or with high temporal resolution).

Museum collections are extremely valuable sources of material for ongoing research, although the conservation history of some objects is not always recorded, which can be problematic for chemical analyses. While most contamination is removed using the acid-base-acid treatment, this may not be the case for cross-linked contamination. The XAD resin protocol was implemented at the radiocarbon (14C) laboratory in the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, and the setup was tested using known age bone samples and a consolidated Palaeolithic bone. Known age samples were consolidated with shellac or Paraloid, aged for a month, treated with or without the XAD resin and 14C dated. Bone blank results showed that XAD resin was able to remove shellac, which was not the case for the ABA-only method. Results from VIRI I were more variable and VIRI F was possibly too young to show the effects of the consolidants. Two 14C dates on the Palaeolithic bone after XAD treatment are statistically the same, while a sample without XAD treatment was significantly older, suggesting that the contaminant was not fully removed by the ABA-only treatment. This study demonstrates the potential of the XAD treatment to clean heritage bone samples stored in museums prior to geochemical analyses.