Laboratory and Quality Assurance Procedures and the Queen's University, Belfast Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory for Samples Dated for the Anglo-Saxon Chronology Project
Author(s): A Bayliss, N Beavan, D Brown, S T Hoper, FG McCormac, Paula Reimer, M Thompson
The laboratory procedures are described that were used to produce 180 radiocarbon measurements at the Queen’s University, Belfast Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory between 1999 and 2006. These samples were dated as part of the English Heritage-funded project, Anglo-Saxon England c AD 570–720: the chronological basis. Ninety-five of the samples were human bone from graves containing diagnostic artefact assemblages. The remainder of the dated material comprised decadal samples of knownage Irish oak spanning the period AD 390–810. The oak measurements were carried out to provide a bespoke section of calibration curve to ensure maximum accuracy of the calibrated dates on the human remains. Two independent measurements were made on each decadal sample of oak and these were counted quasi-simultaneously with the human bones. Further radiocarbon and stable isotope measurements undertaken during this period on samples from other projects of relevance to this study are also reported
- Report Number:
- 89/2011
- Series:
- Research Department Reports
- Pages:
- 74
- Keywords:
- Radiocarbon Dating
