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Abstract We conducted inter-laboratory AMS 14C dating of bones of the Miesenheim IV elk (Rhineland, Germany), buried under Laacher See tephra dated to ca. 11,060 BP (13,000 cal BP). The weighted mean of the new dates, which range from 10,920 to 11,270 BP, is 11,092 ± 19 BP. The consistent results from five AMS laboratories are important in two respects. First, they demonstrate that collagen processed by traditional methods can yield accurate ages; the newly obtained 14C dates are in accord with previous hydroxyproline 14C value generated at the Oxford AMS laboratory within the first round of inter-comparison (Fiedel et al., 2013). The results of the first inter-comparison are clearly flawed, except for hydroxyproline 14C date (see Fiedel et al., 2013), and must be affected by the waxy/dark, presumably humic/organic-based contaminant. Second, they provide a new suite of radiocarbon dates for the Laacher See volcanic eruption, a crucial anchor point for Late Glacial chronology in central Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The freshwater reservoir effect (FRE) was estimated for the northern part of West Siberia for the first time, based on securely dated samples from the late medieval town of Mangazeya existed mainly in AD 1601–1650. Twelve specimens of six species of freshwater fish were selected for 14C dating, and C and N stable isotopes analysis. The FRE varies from ca. 310 to ca. 1970 14C years, and there is no consistency in terms of relationship to feeding habits or trophic level of fish; the FRE fluctuations for Mangazeya, as well as for other regions in northern Eurasia, are noteworthy. This information should be taken into account when 14C dating of bones of humans and domestic animals, who consume significant amount of freshwater fish, is conducted. This also applies to 14C dating of food crusts on the surface of pottery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high-altitude Andean Altiplano has been subject to abrupt climate changes during the Holocene. The resulting impact on the hydrological cycle has obliged ancient societies to adapt and develop strategies to face droughts and sustain agropastoral activities. Here, we present the results of archaeological prospections together with the biogeochemical characterization of a well-dated core collected at Saitoco wetland in the arid southern Altiplano (Intersalar Region, Bolivia). Archaeological survey allowed the mapping of a network of channels collecting water from the surrounding mountains to the wetland, and the presence of small copper mines and metallurgical installations. Traces and major element concentrations and accumulation rates, together with elemental and isotopic characterization of organic matter (OM) (i.e., C org and δ13C org) in the wetland core have been used to document the evolution of the landscape in relation to climatic and anthropogenic pressure. While OM, bromine (Br), selenium (Se) and mercury (Hg) data were used to assess the variability of precipitations during the Late Holocene (4.2 ka BP to the present), local and regional mining activities have been reconstructed through the variations of lead (Pb), copper (Cu), and antimony (Sb). Our results show an abrupt change in OM composition during the 14th and 15th century CE, characterized by an abrupt shift in δ13C org synchronous with a rise in Br, Se and Hg, testifying for the waterlogging of the wetland during a known arid period in the region. This change is attributed to anthropogenic transformation of the landscape through the irrigation of the wetland by channeling streams from the surrounding mountains. At the same time, a mining pollution signal was recorded supporting local Cu mining and metallurgy. The mining signal then reached its maximum values during the Inca and Colonial periods, which matches with reported enhanced mining activities in the region. From the colonial era onward, the wetland progressively dried up, likely resulting from the abandonment of the site. Through the combination of a biogeochemical record and archaeological prospections, this study provides evidences that societies of the arid Intersalar region have transformed their landscape and developed wetland irrigation and mining during the arid 14th and 15th century CE Period. • We characterized biogeochemically a wetland core from the arid southern Altiplano. • 14th - 15th century CE change in δ13C org , Br, Se and Hg indicate wetland waterlogging. • Geoarchaeological information support wetland irrigation to sustain agropastoralism. • Record of Pb, Cu and Sb flux and metallurgical remains indicate local copper mining. • Site occupation declined during the following Inca and colonial periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of multi-disciplinary research carried out on the deposits of Moervaart depression, NW Belgium, one of the largest palaeolakes (∼25 km 2 ) that existed during the Lateglacial interstadial in NW Europe. The multi-proxy study, including physical (organic matter and calcium carbonate, magnetic susceptibility, micromorphological), botanical (pollen, macrofossils, diatoms), zoological (ostracods, molluscs, chironomids) and chemical analyses (stable carbon and oxygen isotopes) has resulted in a detailed reconstruction of the Lateglacial landscape as well of the local conditions that prevailed in the lake itself. A chronology of the record was provided by radiocarbon dating and comparison with radiocarbon dates of the nearby Rieme site. These yielded a good match with the regional biostratigraphy. During the Lateglacial, vegetation and geomorphology of the landscape in general changed from a tundra landscape to a boreal forest. The vegetation development, however, was interrupted by a number of cold reversals. Three centennial-scale cold oscillations are present in the record: 1) the so-called Older Dryas corresponding to GI-1d in the Greenland ice-cores, 2) a short and pronounced cold event during the early Allerød, which could be correlated to GI-1c2 and 3) a cooling event during the late Allerød probably corresponding to the Intra Allerød Cold Period (IACP) or GI-1b. The latter most likely was responsible for the disappearance of the Moervaart palaeolake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]