Recent dating of extinct Atlantic gray whale fossils, (Eschrichtius robustus), Georgia Bight and Florida, western Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) presents an interesting case study of climate related dispersal and extinction. While (limited) fossil records confirm its presence in the Atlantic up until the 18th Century, its abundance and distribution within the Eastern and Western basins are still not well understood. The discovery of presumed gray whale fossil remains from the Georgia Bight and the Atlantic coast of Florida, from the mid-1980s to late-2000s, provides a new opportunity to recover additional data regarding their chronology within the Western basin. Here, we apply accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon techniques to six fossil whale finds, identifying dates within marine isotope stage 3 (59–24 ka) and the late Holocene, ∼2,000 yr BP. We additionally confirm the taxonomic identification of two fossil bone samples as E. robustus using collagen peptide mass fingerprinting (ZooMS). The obtained dates, when combined with a larger corpus of previously published Atlantic gray whale fossil dates, support the hypothesis for the decline of the Atlantic gray whale in the late Pleistocene and the late Holocene. These new data augment the findings of the Eastern Atlantic Basin and better incorporate the Western Atlantic Basin into a pan-ocean understanding for the species

Ceramic findings and their chronology in the area between the southern deseado massif and the santa cruz river basin (southern patagonia, argentina)

El objetivo de este trabajo es informar sobre la recuperación de seis tiestos en el área ubicada entre el extremo sur del Macizo del Deseado y el río Santa Cruz. Si bien se trata de un registro arqueológico poco abundante, constituye un aporte significativo al conocimiento sobre el uso de esta tecnología entre grupos cazadores-recolectores en estas latitudes y en espacios intermedios entre la costa y la cordillera. Se presenta la información cronológica (AMS) e isotópica (δ13C y δ15N) generada a partir de la datación y análisis de las sustancias adheridas a las superficies planas de los fragmentos cerámicos. Asimismo, se exhiben los resultados de los análisis macroscópicos de los tiestos y microscópicos de las pastas. Sobre esta base se indaga acerca de las características de la cerámica, su posible función y el marco cronológico de uso de esta tecnología. Los resultados alcanzados son consistentes con aquéllos obtenidos en la región y apuntan a un uso tardío de la cerámica, a la utilización de recursos de estepa y a la posible obtención y transporte de recipientes por grupos indígenas con alta movilidad desde otros espacios.The purpose of this paper is to provide information about six sherds recovered from the area between the Southern Deseado Massif and the Santa Cruz River Basin. Very few sherds have been recovered from this region previously, and so these findings make a significant contribution to what is known about ceramic technologies used by hunter-gatherers at these latitudes, in an area located between the Andean range and the Atlantic coast. This paper provides macroscopic and microscopic data of the six sherds, which show considerable variability. It also reports isotopic values (δ13C and δ15N) and direct AMS radiocarbon ages for organic residues adhering to the flat faces of two sherds. The results are consistent with those from earlier studies indicating the use of ceramic technology by highly mobile indigenous groups in Southern Patagonia for steppe resources. Variations in sherd composition suggest that the original ceramic containers were probably acquired and transported into the region from other spaces.Fil: Cirigliano, Natalia Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Saavedra 15. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Historia y Ciencias Humanas; ArgentinaFil: Montenegro, Teresita Francis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Geociencias Básicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Geociencias Básicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Franco, Nora Viviana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Saavedra 15. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Historia y Ciencias Humanas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras; ArgentinaFil: Brook, George. University of Georgia; Estados UnidosFil: Cherkinsky, Alexander. University of Georgia; Estados Unido

A Multi-Proxy Assessment of the Impact of Environmental Instability on Late Holocene (4500-3800 BP) Native American Villages of the Georgia Coast

Circular shell rings along the South Atlantic Coast of North America are the remnants of some of the earliest villages that emerged during the Late Archaic (5000-3000 BP). Many of these villages, however, were abandoned during the Terminal Late Archaic (ca 3800-3000 BP). We combine Bayesian chronological modeling with mollusk shell geochemistry and oyster paleobiology to understand the nature and timing of environmental change associated with the emergence and abandonment of circular shell ring villages on Sapelo Island, Georgia. Our Bayesian models indicate that Native Americans occupied the three Sapelo shell rings at varying times with some generational overlap. By the end of the complex\u27s occupation, only Ring III was occupied before abandonment ca. 3845 BP. Ring III also consists of statistically smaller oysters harvested from less saline estuaries compared to earlier occupations. Integrating shell biochemical and paleobiological data with recent tree ring analyses shows a clear pattern of environmental fluctuations throughout the period in which the rings were occupied. We argue that as the environment became unstable around 4300 BP, aggregation at villages provided a way to effectively manage fisheries that are highly sensitive to environmental change. However, with the eventual collapse of oyster fisheries and subsequent rebound in environmental conditions ca. post-3800 BP, people dispersed from shell rings, and shifted to non-marine subsistence economies and other types of settlements. This study provides the most comprehensive evidence for correlations between large-scale environmental change and societal transformations on the Georgia coast during the Late Archaic period

Can We Get a Good Radiocarbon Age from "Bad Bone"? Determining the Reliability of Radiocarbon Age from Bioapatite

The study of the radiocarbon age of bone bioapatite was initiated by necessity to date archaeological artifacts, which often contain little or no collagen as a result of poor preservation. Contamination of the organic fraction in the process of the burial or during museum preservation treatment generally prohibits the use of the collagen fraction for dating. Our investigation has shown that the pretreatment of bone with diluted acetic acid following a proscribed technique allows the separation of the bioapatite fraction from diagenetic carbonates. We have successfully used this technique to prepare and date samples of bone and of tooth enamel and dentin, with varying degrees of preservation condition, and from time intervals ranging from a few hundred 14C yr to greater than 40,000 14C yr.The Radiocarbon archives are made available by Radiocarbon and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform February 202

Harold W. Krueger (1935-1997)

This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between Radiocarbon and the University of Arizona Libraries.The Radiocarbon archives are made available by Radiocarbon and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform February 202

Radiocarbon chronology of Andean khipus

Unlike every other high civilisation of the ancient world, the Incas did not develop a system of writing based on graphic signs on twodimensional surfaces. Rather, Inca administrative records took the form of three-dimensional knotted-cords made of spun and plied fibers. It is widely believed that khipu technology associated with the rise and expansion of the Inca Empire, during the Late Horizon period (ca. 1400-1532 AD), developed out of an earlier cord recording technology associated with the Wari culture of the Middle Horizon period (ca. 600-1000 AD). There were good studies of the patterns of thread-wrapping on a few Middle Horizon samples and archaeological recovery of one sample from Middle Horizon context. Three Middle Horizon, Wari khipus have been dated between 780-1024 AD. The principal problem of khipu chronology arises with respect to the dating of Inca samples. Thirty-one samples of Inca khipus from museums in the USA, Latin America and Germany have been analysed. The samples were analysed by the accelerator mass spectrometry technique at three laboratories. About half of the samples analysed at the University of Georgia have been analysed twice to get a higher precision. Most of the samples have been dated from Late Horizon times to the early Colonial period, 1500-1600 AD. One of the samples was dated to the beginning of the Late Horizon 1390-1423 AD and another sample was even earlier, i.e. 1188-1282 AD. Unfortunately, the existing calibration data for Inca khipus do not allow high enough sensitivity for precise analysis, thereby requiring a reappraisal of the calibration curve for South America.Anthropolog

Harold W. Krueger (1935–1997)

This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between Radiocarbon and the University of Arizona Libraries.The Radiocarbon archives are made available by Radiocarbon and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform February 202