Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-mzp66 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-08T15:23:04.707Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Direct Radiocarbon Dating of Rock Art

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Jon Russ ,
Marian Hyman  and
Marvin Rowe
Jon Russ
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3255 USA
Marian Hyman
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3255 USA
Marvin Rowe
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3255 USA
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

In 14C dating of pictographs, we use a low-temperature oxygen plasma coupled with high-vacuum techniques to selectively remove carbon-containing material in the paint without contamination from the rock substrate, even if limestone (CaCO3). In addition to one previously published measurement, we analyzed two more pictograph samples, which are in accord with archaeological inference. A sample of known age charcoal, also processed by our method, matched the control. This technique produces little mass fractionation, the maximum δ13C being 0.16‰ from the untreated sample. Limestone decomposition does not occur during our procedure. Although the technique development is in its infancy, these new results demonstrate that our non-destructive technique has great potential for producing accurate 14C ages.

Type
V. Archaeological Applications
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 34 , Issue 3: Proceedings of the 14th International Radiocarbon Conference , 1992 , pp. 867 - 872
Copyright
Copyright © The American Journal of Science 

References

Barnes, F. A. 1982 Prehistoric Rock Art. Salt Lake City, Utah, Wasatch Publications, Inc.: 71.Google Scholar
Breuil, A. H. 1979 Four Hundred Centuries of Cave Art. New York, Hacker Art Books: 411 p.Google Scholar
Gleit, C. E. 1965 High frequency electrodeless discharge system for ashing organic matter. Analytical Chemistry 37: 314–315.Google Scholar
Gleit, C. E. and Holland, W. D. 1962 Use of electrically excited oxygen for the low temperature decomposition of organic substances. Analytical Chemistry 34: 1454–1457.Google Scholar
Hollahan, J. R. 1966 Analytical applications of electrodelessly discharged gases. Journal of Chemical Education 41: A401–A405.Google Scholar
Kirkland, F. and Newcomb, W. W. Jr. 1967 Rock Art of Texas Indians. Austin, Texas, The University of Texas Press: 239 p.Google Scholar
Leroi-Gourhan, A. 1965 Treasures of Prehistoric Art. New York, Harry N. Abrams, Inc.: 543 p.Google Scholar
Loy, T. H., Jones, R., Nelson, D. E., Meehan, B., Vogel, J., Southon, J. and Cosgrove, R. 1990 Accelerator radiocarbon dating of human blood proteins in pigments from Late Pleistocene art sites in Australia. Antiquity 64: 110–116.Google Scholar
Pfeiffer, J. E. 1982 The Creative Explosion: An Inquiry into the Origins of Art and Religion. New York, Harper and Row: 270 p.Google Scholar
Rudner, I. 1983 Paints of the Khoisan rock artists. In New Approaches South African Rock Art 4: 14–20.Google Scholar
Russ, J., Hyman, M. and Rowe, M. W. 1991a Direct radiocarbon dating of ancient rock art. Rock Art Papers 9, in press.Google Scholar
Russ, J., Hyman, M. and Rowe, M. W. 1991b Dating and chemical analysis of Pecos River style pictographs. American Indian Rock Art 18, in press.Google Scholar
Russ, J., Hyman, M., Shafer, H. J. and Rowe, M. W. 1990 Radiocarbon dating of prehistoric rock paintings by selective oxidation of organic carbon. Nature 348: 710–711.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Russ, J., Hyman, M., Shafer, H. J. and Rowe, M. W. 1991 14C dating of ancient rock art: A new application of plasma chemistry. Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing 11: 515–527.Google Scholar
Sieveking, A. 1979 The Cave Artists. London, Thames and Hudson: 221 p.Google Scholar
Turpin, S. 1991 Time out of mind: The radiocarbon chronology of the Lower Pecos region. In Turpin, S., ed., Papers on Lower Pecos Prehistory, Texas Archaeological Research Laboratory Studies in Archaeology 8. Austin, University of Texas Press: 1–50.Google Scholar
Valladas, H., Cachier, H. and Arnold, M. 1990 AMS 14C dates for the prehistoric Cougnac cave paintings and related bone remains. Rock Art Research 7: 18–19.Google Scholar
Van der Merwe, N. J., Sealy, J. and Yates, R. 1987 First accelerator carbon-14 date for pigment from a rock painting. South African Journal of Science 83: 56–57.Google Scholar
Zolensky, M. 1982 Analysis of pigments from prehistoric pictographs Seminole Canyon State Historical park. In Turpin, S., ed., Seminole Canyon: The Art and Archeology, Texas Archeological Survey Research Report 83, Austin, University of Texas Press: 279–284.Google Scholar