Luminescence dating and mineralogical investigations of bricks from erikli basilica in Stratonikeia ancient city (SW-Turkey)

Stratonikeia is one of the oldest settlements in southwestern Anatolia and at the same time significant for an understanding of the Hellenistic period. Archaeological records of Stratonikeia date back to around 2000 BC. This study provides new information not only about luminescence age but also about mineralo-petrographic, geochemical characteristics of bricks taken from Erikli Basilica in Stratonikeia (Turkey). In this study, mineralogical data of TL and OSL dating of two bricks and two sediment samples will be presented. The bricks have highly similar mineralogical composition, consisting mainly of quartz and muscovite. These results are supported by XRD studies. In order to perform the thermoluminescence (TL) and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating, the equivalent dose (ED) and the annual dose (AD) of the samples were determined using different estimation techniques. The TL ages of bricks are determined to be 1189±89 and 576±40 years. The IRSL ages of the bricks are determined to be 1167±85 years and 545±50 years. Additionally, supporting the TL and IRSL ages, the OSL quartz ages of the two sediments obtained from the top of the layer under the floor are discovered to be about 1100 years. Mineralo-petrographic, geochemical, dating and archaeological studies have revealed that the age of bricks is different from each other. Furthermore, Erikli Basillica was built in bricks, consisting of raw materials taken from different quarries in different periods. Within the framework, the first report of the experimental approach has been published from Stratonikeia archaeological site located in Muğla, Agean Anatolia. © 2018 MAA Open Access. Printed in Greece. All rights reserved

Dose estimation and dating of pottery from Turkey

The luminescence method is a widely used technique for environmental dosimetry and dating archaeological, geological materials. In this study, equivalent dose (ED) and annual dose rate (AD) of an archaeological sample were measured. The age of the material was calculated by means of equivalent dose divided by the annual dose rate. The archaeological sample was taken from Antalya, Turkey. Samples were prepared by the fine grain technique and equivalent dose was found using multiple-aliquot-additive-dose (MAAD) and single aliquot regeneration (SAR) techniques. Also the short shine normalization-MAAD and long shine normalization-MAAD were applied and the results of the methods were compared with each other. The optimal preheat temperature was found to be 200. °C for 10. min. The annual doses of concentrations of the major radioactive isotopes were determined using a high-purity germanium detector and a low-level alpha counter. The age of the sample was found to be 510±40 years. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd

Indirect dating of an olive tree planting event using luminescence of the sediments lying beneath the roots of the tree: a pilot study in the south-western part of Anatolia, Turkey

The aim of the present study is to attempt assessing the age of a monumental olive tree located between the Antique Cities of Militus (Didim-Aydın region) and Iasos (Milas-Muğla region). Wood from the trunk of an olive tree is not appropriate for conventional dating approaches such as dendrochronology or 14C. The sediments closely located surrounding and beneath the roots of the olive tree are considered indicative of the age of the planting event; therefore these sediments were dated using both quartz and feldspar luminescence signal protocols. Methodological aspects including the preheating plateaus, equivalent dose statistical approaches and dose rate using gamma spectrometry are also discussed, as dating of the associated palaeochannel sediments of the area are presented for the first time in the dating literature. The optically stimulated luminescence and/or infrared stimulated luminescence ages are extrapolated to date the event of the tree planting; it is the first time in the literature that an age is reported for an olive tree in the eastern Mediterranean region. The present study stands as the first experimental evidence that olive trees have been cultivated in the area since the Iron Age. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd