DATA AND DEBATES: LEGACY RADIOCARBON DATA IN SOUTH ASIA

Abstract

Archaeologists have long drawn on legacy radiocarbon data to develop chronologies and address research questions. However, this data is often dispersed across site reports, edited volumes, and journals from various countries, which makes it difficult for researchers to track down dates from older excavations. Moreover, legacy dates published before international standards were established sometimes lack complete contextual information including exact provenience, sample material, or processing techniques. As a result, using legacy data in archaeological research can be challenging. This paper presents the latest results of an ongoing and expanding legacy radiocarbon data project that examines patterns in radiocarbon dating over the past 70 years. The analysis reviews date densities in one region in South Asia and also assesses the contextual information published with those radiocarbon dates. The results demonstrate why some archaeological debates continue to be unresolved and they show which regions and time periods need more attention from archaeologists interested in radiocarbon dating. The analysis also enumerates the limits of the data and demonstrate why legacy radiocarbon data must be used carefully