THE BEGINNING OF THE IRON AGE AT ARSLANTEPE: A 14C PERSPECTIVE

The Iron Age chronology at Arslantepe is the result of the interpretation of Luwian hieroglyphic inscriptions and archaeological data coming from the site and its surrounding region. A new round of investigations of the Iron Age levels has been conducted at the site over the last 10 years. Preliminary results allowed the combination of the archaeological sequence with the historical events that extended from the collapse of the Late Bronze Age empires to the formation and development of the new Iron Age kingdoms. The integration into this picture of a new set of radiocarbon (14C) dates is aimed at establishing a more solid local chronology. High precision 14C dating by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and its correlation with archaeobotanical analysis and stratigraphic data are presented here with the purpose of improving our knowledge of the site’s history and to build a reliable absolute chronology of the Iron Age. The results show that the earliest level of the sequence dates to ca. the mid-13th century BC, implying that the site started developing a new set of relationships with the Levant already before the breakdown of the Hittite empire, entailing important historical implications for the Syro-Anatolian region at the end of the 2nd millennium BC

AMS radiocarbon dating of mortar: The case study of the medieval UNESCO site of Modena

The carbon dioxide contributing to binder formation during the set of a lime mortar reflects the atmospheric 14C content at the time of construction of a building. For this reason, the 14C dating of mortars is used with increasing frequencies in archaeological and architectural research. Mortars, however, may also contain carbonaceous contaminants potentially affecting radiocarbon dating. The Centre for Isotopic Research on Cultural and Environmental heritage (CIRCE) of the Second University of Naples (SUN) has recently obtained some promising results in mortar radiocarbon dating thanks to the development of a procedure (i.e. CryoSoniC/Cryo2SoniC) aiming to eliminate exogenous C contamination that may occur in a mortar. The construction history of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Modena (Italy) is still controversial and represents a challenging case study for the application of absolute dating methodologies for different reasons. From the point of view of 14C dating, for example, given the high percentage of carbonate aggregates composing these samples, Modena mortars represent an experimental test particularly indicative of exogenous carbon sources suppression ensuring methodology accuracy. In this paper several AMS Radiocarbon dates were carried out on lime lumps with the aim to: (i) verify procedure accuracy by a comparison of the results obtainable from lime lumps dated after different treatments (i.e. bulk lime lumps vs. CryoSoniC purified lime lumps); (ii) compare different building phases absolute chronology for the medieval UNESCO site of Modena, with that assumed by historical sources in order to assess preliminary the 14C dating feasibility for of the site. Historical temporal constraints and mortar clustering, based on petrography, have been applied to define a temporal framework of the analyzed structure. Moreover, a detailed petrographic characterization of mortars was used both as a preliminary tool for the choice of samples and to infer about the lack of accuracy (when verified) of the applied mortar 14C dating procedure

Stable oxygen and carbon isotope composition of holocene mytilidae from the camarones coast (Chubut, argentina): Palaeoceanographic implications

The stable isotope composition of living and of Holocene Mytilidae shells was measured in the area of Camarones (Chubut, Argentina). The most striking results were the high δ18 O values measured in samples older than ca. 6.1 cal ka BP. In the younger samples, the δ18 O values remained substantially stable and similar to those of living specimens. Analysis of the data revealed the possibility for this isotopic shift to be driven mainly by changes in temperature probably accompanied by minor changes in salinity, suggesting cooler seawater before 6.1 cal ka BP, with a maximum possible temperature shift of ca. 5◦ C. A possible explanation of this change can be related to a northward position of the confluence zone of the Falkland and Brazilian currents. This is consistent with the data obtained in marine cores, which indicate a northerly position of the confluence in the first half of the Holocene. Our data are also in line with the changes in wind strength and position of the Southern Westerlies Wind, as reconstructed in terrestrial proxies from the Southernmost Patagonia region.Fil: Boretto, Gabriella Margherita. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra; ArgentinaFil: Zanchetta, Giovanni. Università degli Studi di Pisa; Italia. Istituto di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria; Italia. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche; ItaliaFil: Consoloni, Ilaria. Università degli Studi di Pisa; ItaliaFil: Baneschi, Ilaria. Istituto di Geoscienze e Georisorse; Italia. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche; ItaliaFil: Guidi, Massimo. Istituto di Geoscienze e Georisorse; Italia. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche; ItaliaFil: Isola, Ilaria. Istituto Nazione di Geofisica e Vulcanologia; ItaliaFil: Bini, Monica. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche; Italia. Università degli Studi di Pisa; ItaliaFil: Ragaini, Luca. Università degli Studi di Pisa; ItaliaFil: Terrasi, Filippo. Seconda Universita Degli Studi Di Napoli; ItaliaFil: Regattieri, Eleonora. Istituto di Geoscienze e Georisorse; ItaliaFil: Dallai, Luigi. Istituto di Geoscienze e Georisorse; Italia. Istituto Nazione di Geofisica e Vulcanologia; Italia. Università degli studi di Roma "La Sapienza"; Itali

Convento di San Francesco a Folloni: the function of a Medieval Franciscan Friary seen through the burials

Background: The Franciscan Friary in Montella near Avellino in Southern Italy is of special interest because according to historical sources it was founded by St. Francis himself in AD 1221-1222. Human remains of several hundred individuals interred in the cloister walk have been unearthed during two excavation campaigns conducted in 2007-2008 and 2010. The environs of the friary have remained rural since the foundation preventing much modern contamination. The state of preservation of the skeletons is fair to good making a suite of analyses worthwhile. Results: The skeletons have been examined anthropologically and tissue samples have been subjected to radiocarbon dating, stable isotope measurements and trace element analyses by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry and Cold Vapour Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. Conclusions: The radiocarbon dates are consistent with the historical sources and show that the cemetery in the cloister walk has been in uninterrupted use from the foundation of the friary in AD 1221-1222 and until the cemetery went out of use in AD 1524. The anthropological investigations show that the individuals interred at the friary would have been shorter than other Italians from the same time, and it seems that tuberculosis was more prevalent than leprosy. Isotopic measurements show a mixed agricultural and pastoral diet and none of the individuals were consuming marine protein. Based on the trace element analysis it seems that the people resided mainly at two distinct geographical areas, one of which was Montella. One individual stands out from the rest, because he was born and raised at some third geographical location distinct from Montella and because he sports the second oldest radiocarbon date of AD 1050-1249 (two sigma calibrated range). This date is consistent with the first generation of the founders of the friary-perhaps one of St. Francis' fellow travellers from Assisi

Mid-Holocene relative sea-level changes along Atlantic Patagonia: new data from Camarones, Chubut, Argentina

This paper concerns the relative sea-level changes associated with the Atlantic Patagonian coast derived from sea-level index points whose elevation was determined by a differential global position system (DGPS). Bio encrustations from outcrops located near Camarones, Chubut, Argentina, consist of autochthonous deposits characterized by Austromegabalanus psittacus (Molina, 1782), encrusting acer vulinid foraminifera, coralline red algae and bryozoans. The association of the different organisms is interpreted as being associated with an intertidal environment, and they have been used as index points to establish the relative sea-level position. The main conclusion is that the relative sea-level between c. 7000 and 5300 cal. yr BP was in the range ofc. 2?4 m a.s.l., with a mean value of c. 3.5 m a.s.l. Our data seem to support the existence of different rates of relative sea-level fall in different sectors of Atlantic Patagonia during the Holocene and highlight the importance of a more precise and accurate relative sea-level estimation by producing new data and revisiting the indicative meaning of most of the indicators so far used in the area.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Impact of a revised 25^{25}Mg(p,γ\gamma)26^{26}Al reaction rate on the operation of the Mg-Al cycle

Proton captures on Mg isotopes play an important role in the Mg-Al cycle active in stellar H-burning regions. In particular, low-energy nuclear resonances in the $^{25}$Mg(p,$\gamma$)$^{26}$Al reaction affect the production of radioactive $^{26}$Al$^{gs}$ as well as the resulting Mg/Al abundance ratio. Reliable estimations of these quantities require precise measurements of the strengths of low-energy resonances. Based on a new experimental study performed at LUNA, we provide revised rates of the $^{25}$Mg(p,$\gamma$)$^{26}$Al$^{gs}$ and the $^{25}$Mg(p,$\gamma$)$^{26}$Al$^{m}$ reactions with corresponding uncertainties. In the temperature range 50 to 150 MK, the new recommended rate of the $^{26}$Al$^{m}$ production is up to 5 times higher than previously assumed. In addition, at T$=100$ MK, the revised total reaction rate is a factor of 2 higher. Note that this is the range of temperature at which the Mg-Al cycle operates in an H-burning zone. The effects of this revision are discussed. Due to the significantly larger $^{25}$Mg(p,$\gamma$)$^{26}$Al$^{m}$ rate, the estimated production of $^{26}$Al$^{gs}$ in H-burning regions is less efficient than previously obtained. As a result, the new rates should imply a smaller contribution from Wolf-Rayet stars to the galactic $^{26}$Al budget. Similarly, we show that the AGB extra-mixing scenario does not appear able to explain the most extreme values of $^{26}$Al/$^{27}$Al, i.e. $>10^{-2}$, found in some O-rich presolar grains. Finally, the substantial increase of the total reaction rate makes the hypothesis of a self-pollution by massive AGBs a more robust explanation for the Mg-Al anticorrelation observed in Globular-Cluster stars