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This paper presents new data derived from pollen, starch and radiocarbon samples that were collected from six Aboriginal earth (oven) mounds and middens on the Calperum and Pike floodplains, Murray-Darling Basin (MDB), South Australia (SA). Analyses of these samples were undertaken in order to enhance our understanding about the Holocene lifeways of Aboriginal people living in this region. The results from these analyses, combined with published data about the mounds' contents, relevant ethno-historical information and climate data, allow us to infer that Aboriginal people adopted, in this region, an innovative food production system about 3800 years ago. Further, we argue that the timing of the change suggests this was in response to adverse El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) related weather patterns and consequently fluctuations in both terrestrial and aquatic food resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ancient southern Levantine city of Gezer is well-known from Egyptian, Biblical and Assyrian sources, associated with power struggles, conquests, and intriguing tales involving figures such as Milkilu and Amenhotep III, Merneptah, the Philistines, Solomon and his unidentified pharaonic father-in-law, and Shishak / Sheshonq I. Since the identity of Gezer with "Tell Jezer" is quite literally 'set in stone' by some dozen boundary inscriptions, along with impressive Bronze and Iron Age remains, research at this site provides a unique opportunity to compare text and archaeology, as well as bring to light the undocumented everyday lives of the city's inhabitants. In this endeavour, independent scientific dating is crucial for anchoring the remains chronologically. This paper presents the first substantial radiocarbon dataset and Bayesian chronological analysis for Gezer spanning the last part of the Late Bronze Age (LBA; LB IIB) through Iron Age II. The dataset derives from an essentially continuous stratigraphic sequence exposed in recent years by the Tandy expedition along the central-southern edge of the site. The results allow us for the first time to independently determine the site chronology, test the viability (from a chronological perspective) of proposed historical correlations, and contribute to debates on Philistine and Iron Age chronology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout the 4th to 6th Dynasties of the Old Kingdom (c. 2613–2181 BCE), liquid commodities were imported in ceramic combed jars made in workshops in the Byblos region, enabling proximal geographic identification of the original contents. Results of scientific, archaeometric, and archaeological research on a large corpus of jars found in elite tombs at Giza, now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, reveal a complex story of the use and reuse of the jars and that very little remains of the original and even secondary contents. Rather, from the moment of production, the jars had a complex itinerary. At different times, jars were invested with diverse meanings that included their original use as a transport and product container, a symbol of royal power, an elite status symbol, and, more recently, a 20th-century museum artifact. It is argued that a number of jars were used more than once before final deposition in elite tombs, where they were provided as gifts to high officials and royal family members. The jars acquired the significance of prestige markers in the status framework of Egyptian elites, signifying proximity to royal grace and favor. As a result of ancient use and modern interventions, the original contents of the jars are difficult to discern, with wider implications for how to characterize the liquid commodities trade with the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of an archaeological investigation into anthropogenic earth (oven) mounds located on the Murray River floodplain at Calperum Station in the Renmark region of South Australia. Six mounds were excavated and their contents examined. Sediment analyses were also conducted to assess magnetic susceptibility, grain size and loss on ignition. Radiocarbon age estimates were obtained on shell and charcoal. Mound contents primarily included anthropogenically burnt clay (heat retainers), charcoal, fragments of mussel shell as well as very minor quantities of other faunal material and stone artefacts (which were consistent with previous lithic assessments for the region). The radiocarbon age determinations from 15 samples indicate that mounds were formed by Aboriginal people on the Calperum floodplain from at least 3981–3723 cal BP and utilised up to the time of European invasion. The very minimal amount of faunal remains (other than mussel shell), artefacts and a general lack of other material evidence apart from clay heat retainers, confirms that these features were single purpose and not used as living areas. Sediment analyses and radiocarbon dates indicate a high degree of homogeneity within mounds but provide insights into an economic transition on the Calperum floodplain, at around 4000 cal BP involving a food-production procurement strategy based on heat retainer technology and the exploitation of emergent macrophytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wetland sediments are valuable archives of environmental change but can be challenging to date. Terrestrial macrofossils are often sparse, resulting in radiocarbon (14C) dating of less desirable organic fractions. An alternative approach for capturing changes in atmospheric 14C is the use of terrestrial microfossils. We 14C date pollen microfossils from two Australian wetland sediment sequences and compare these to ages from other sediment fractions (n = 56). For the Holocene Lake Werri Berri record, pollen 14C ages are consistent with 14C ages on bulk sediment and humic acids (n = 14), whilst Stable Polycyclic Aromatic Carbon (SPAC) 14C ages (n = 4) are significantly younger. For Welsby Lagoon, pollen concentrate 14C ages (n = 21) provide a stratigraphically coherent sequence back to 50 ka BP. 14C ages from humic acid and >100 µm fractions (n = 13) are inconsistent, and often substantially younger than pollen ages. Our comparison of Bayesian age-depth models, developed in Oxcal, Bacon and Undatable, highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the different programs for straightforward and more complex chrono-stratigraphic records. All models display broad similarities but differences in modeled age-uncertainty, particularly when age constraints are sparse. Intensive dating of wetland sequences improves the identification of outliers and generation of robust age models, regardless of program used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CT scans of an unnamed mummified adult from Egypt, now in the Chau Chak Wing Museum, University of Sydney (NMR.27.3), reveal it to be fully sheathed in a mud shell or carapace, exposing a mortuary treatment not previously documented in the Egyptian archaeological record. The carapace was placed between layers of linen wrappings thus it was not externally visible. Radiocarbon dating of textile samples provide a range of c.1370–1113 cal BC (95.4% probability), with a median date of 1207 cal BC. When assessed against mummification techniques of the era, the individual is placed in the late 19th–20th Dynasty, at the later end of this date range. Multi-proxy analysis including μ-XRF and Raman spectroscopy of carapace fragments from the head area revealed it to consist of three layers, comprising a thin base layer of mud, coated with a white calcite-based pigment and a red-painted surface of mixed composition. Whether the whole surface of the carapace was painted red is unknown. The carapace was a form of ancient conservation applied subsequent to post-mortem damage to the body, intended to reconfigure the body and enable continued existence of the deceased in the afterlife. The carapace can also be interpreted as a form of elite emulation imitating resin shells found within the wrappings of royal bodies from this period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a preliminary occupation chronology for the Riverland region of South Australia, based on 31 radiocarbon age determinations. This region has represented a significant geographic gap in understanding occupation chronologies for the broader Murray-Darling Basin. The dating forms part of an ongoing research program exploring the long-term engagements of Aboriginal people with the habitat mosaics of the central River Murray corridor. Dating targets were selected on the basis of their landscape context. Results relate occupation evidence to an evolving riverine landscape through the period extending from approximately 29 ka to the late Holocene. These results include the first pre-Last Glacial Maximum ages returned on the River Murray in South Australia and extend the known Aboriginal occupation of the Riverland by approximately 22,000 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiocarbon (14C) dating is widely used to determine the age of organic material in palaeoenvironmental research. Here we compare 14C dates (n=17) resulting from macro-charcoal (>250 μm), short-lived plant macrofossils and pollen-rich residues isolated from two mire environments in eastern Australia. In most samples we found that short-lived plant macrofossils were the youngest organic component, the charcoal samples most often fell into the middle and the pollen-rich residues consistently returned older dates than the other samples. Although pollen-rich residues have been widely used for 14C dating in Australasia we suggest some caution in their use, perhaps because in our fire-prone environments these samples often also contain fine charcoal and other oxidative resistant organic matter that is older than the surrounding sediment matrix. The macro-charcoal samples also often returned older calibrated ages compared to short-lived plant macrofossils from the same depth, although this difference was relatively small (<245 years). Our results demonstrate that 14C dating of short-lived plant macrofossils are likely to yield more accurate chronologies and we advocate their routine use in palaeoenvironmental research when they are available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT It is widely accepted that most larger Australian vertebrates were extinct by 40 ka. The reliability of <20-ka radiocarbon (14C) ages on charcoal stratigraphically associated with sthenurine (short-faced) kangaroo tooth fragments from Seton Rockshelter, Kangaroo Island, have therefore proven contentious. Some researchers have argued these fossils were in situ, while others have claimed they were reworked. To address this we obtained new 14C ages on bones from the site. These bone ages are not only consistent with earlier charcoal ages, but are in near-perfect stratigraphic order, providing strong support for the site's stratigraphic integrity. Our analyses indicate units aged 21−17 ka were primarily accumulated by Tasmanian devils ( Sarcophilus harrisii) and owls ( Tyto species), after which humans became the primary accumulation agent. The tight chronology, faunal trends and current lack of evidence for older layers from which specimens could have been reworked suggest the sthenurine remains may be in situ. However, because attempts to directly date sthenurine material failed, we cannot confidently assert that they survived to this time. Therefore, Seton Rockshelter may be best excluded from the Pleistocene extinction debate until the site can be re-excavated and more conclusive evidence collected, including more complete or directly datable sthenurine remains. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil organic carbon (SOC) content and radiocarbon concentration were measured in three particle-size fractions and charcoal fragments at four depths to bedrock in a sandy soil from SE Australia. SOC content declined with depth for all fractions. The enrichment factors of SOC showed that the finest particles are most important for SOC storage throughout the soil profile, and their importance for SOC storage increased with depth. In the topsoil, all particle-size fractions contained modern SOC. In contrast, charcoal from this depth gave radiocarbon ages of 85-165 years Before Present (BP). This difference was more pronounced at 30-60 cm, where the charcoal was dated at 2,540 years BP, over 12 times as old as the youngest fraction at that depth. These results confirm charcoal as a highly stable form of SOC. The radiocarbon data in the topsoil and near bedrock indicate that neither microaggregation nor mineral association is important for SOC stability in this soil. At intermediate sampling depths, the mid-sized fraction was the oldest. We believe that this is the result of charcoal accumulation in this fraction, inducing a shift in radiocarbon age. However, near bedrock (100-120 cm), radiocarbon concentration did not differ significantly between fractions, despite greater SOC retention in smaller fractions. In addition, radiocarbon ages at 100-120 cm indicate that charcoal is not present at this depth. We propose that environmental and soil conditions (substrate limitation, water and oxygen availability, and temperature) are responsible for the stabilization of SOC at this depth, where SOC concentrations were very low (0.1-0.3 %). Our results demonstrate that, although fine particles retain more SOC than coarse ones, they do not stabilize SOC in this sandy soil. Instead, environmental (bushfires and climate) and site factors (soil texture and soil mineralogy) control the distribution and stability of SOC throughout the soil profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Lake basins that experience rapid rates of deposition act as high-resolution environmental archives because they produce sedimentary records that have centennial or even decadal resolution. However, identifying target fractions for radiocarbon dating of lake sediments remains problematic because reworked organic material from fluvial catchments can produce anomalously old radiocarbon ages. This study determines the extent to which reworked material from catchment soils impacts radiocarbon dates on pollen and other organic concentrates by comparing radiocarbon dates produced by these techniques against a chronostratigraphic marker in cores from Lake Mapourika, New Zealand. Pollen preferentially preserved and reworked from catchment soils was identified using soil palynology. A technique was then developed to remove reworked pollen types from pollen concentrates extracted from lake sediment. Identification and removal of reworked pollen from pollen concentrates produced ages that were consistently closer to the age of the chronostratigraphic horizon than other organic concentrates. However, these dates were still between 736 and 366 calendar years older than expected. The only organic fractions that reliably reproduced the age of the chronostratigraphic horizon were terrestrial leaf macrofossils, although terrestrial leaf macrofossils isolated from megaturbidite deposits, which are formed by high-energy depositional events, also provided anomalously old ages. The results indicate that leaf material extracted from hemipelagite, which accumulates gradually, is likely to be the only organic fraction to produce reliable chronology in lakes where a component of sedimentation is driven by the fluvial system. The results also demonstrate the importance of conducting a detailed investigation of physical sedimentology before selecting material for radiocarbon dating lake sediments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Bog peat soils have been accumulating at Wellington Plain peatland, Victoria, Australia for the last 3300 years. Now, dried peat soils are common adjacent to bog peats. The 14C basal age of dried peat is not different from the 14C basal age of bog peat, which supports the theory that dried peat formed from bog peat. A novel application of 210Pb dating links the timing of this change with the introduction of livestock to Wellington Plain in the mid-1800s. Physical loss of material appears to have been the dominant process removing material as bog peats drained to form dried peats, as indicated by the mass balances of carbon and lead. This research has implications for the post-fire and post-grazing restoration of bogs in Victoria's Alpine National Park, and the contribution of peat soils to Australia's carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents research which dated deposits from the Jinmium rock shelter in the Kimberly region of northern Australia. Dating of human presence at the site; Findings of younger ages for quartz sand in deposit; Dating methods used; Radiocarbon measurements in agreement with the late-Holocene ages; Cause of overestimates with multiple-grain methods of dating.

Abstract: Paleoenvironmental reconstructions from Little Llangothlin Lagoon have been used to argue for early European impact on the eastern Australian landscape. In particular, these studies have argued for European arrival on the New England Tablelands at about 1800 AD, with significant impacts including the clearance of one species of Casuarina before 1820 AD and significant erosion by 1836 AD (; ; , ). We have re-cored the lagoon, dated the cores using 210Pb and radiocarbon, and counted pollen and other proxies. Our 210Pb results indicate that 210Pb background was achieved stratigraphically later than the erosion event and we have three early Holocene radiocarbon ages in the erosion event interval. We conclude that the ‘erosion event’ predates European settlement. The 210Pb results indicate much less erosion in response to European settlement than suggested by these earlier studies. We also find no notable decline in Casuarina in the pollen record spanning the time of initial European impact, and in fact we find very little Casuarina in the record. Instead of a Casuarina dominated vegetation we conclude that the area was dominated by open Eucalypt forest prior to European settlement. Rather than changes in the regional vegetation in the early 19th century, we attribute changes in the palynoflora spanning the ‘erosion event’ to changes within the lake/wetland and in particular to changes in the dominance of different species of Myriophyllum; most likely due to water depth fluctuation. This site has stood out as indicating an earlier European impact than other localities in eastern Australia, beyond the original limits of settlement near Sydney. Our findings suggest that a more traditional interpretation of this site is warranted and that no very early impact is discernable. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Three sedimentary sequences from a coastal wetland behind a sand barrier, on the west coast of d'Urville Island, New Zealand, were examined using a multi-proxy approach, including sedimentological, geochemical and microfossil (diatom) analyses, with the chronology established using radiocarbon and 210Pb dating. Data show that a brackish lagoon started developing 7300 year ago after formation of the sand barrier in Moawhitu. This was followed by periods of alternating wetland encroachment and open water, displaying spatial variations, until a peatland was established about 1300 cal. yr BP. The wetland was then partially drained in the early 1900s, leading to compaction of the peat near the surface. A coarse layer containing gravel, sand and shells, with a sharp lower contact, in the northern area of the wetland, is attributed to an overwash about 2500–3000 yr BP, most probably a tsunami generated by the rupture of a local or regional fault. The high-resolution continuous record obtained with XRF core scanning revealed a geochemical signature (Ca and S) for the overwash 600 m inland in the middle area of the wetland, while it was absent from the southern site 1.1 km from the shore. This suggests that, except at the northern end of Moawhitu, the sand dune acted as an effective barrier preventing any sediment from overtopping 2500–3000 yr BP, with only a geochemical evidence marking the extent of seawater inundation. No sedimentological or geochemical evidence could be found in the wetland for the 15th century tsunami that had destroyed almost an entire community in Moawhitu, as recounted in Māori oral tradition (pūrākau), although pebbles at the surface of the dune are likely to be linked to this event. Thus, the sand dune appears to have again acted as an effective barrier for the overwash in the 15th century. However, our study suggests that the area might have been impacted by more than one tsunami in the last 3000 years. It also shows that a high-resolution continuous XRF record can provide the evidence for short-term changes (catastrophic or not) that did not leave any clear sedimentological signature, thus providing a better insight of environmental changes in any depositional environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]