TY - JOUR
T1 - Dendrochronological analysis and radiocarbon dating of charcoal remains from the multi-period site of Uşaklı Höyük, Yozgat, Turkey
AU - Gmińska-Nowak, Barbara
AU - D'Agostino, Anacleto
AU - Özarslan, Yasemin
AU - Orsi, Valentina
AU - Christopoulou, Anastasia
AU - Mazzoni, Stefania
AU - Akkemik, Ünal
AU - Ważny, Tomasz
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums of the Republic of Turkey for their support to the Uşaklı Höyük excavations and invaluable advice during various stages of the bureaucratic procedures. A particular note of appreciation is due to Hasan Şenyurt, who was at the time the director of the Yozgat Museum, and to the museum staff for having started and completed the export procedures of wood samples for dendrochronological studies in a very short time. This research was funded by the National Science Center, Poland, project nr 2016/22/A/HS3/00285: “The Balkan-Aegean Dendrochronology Project. Tree ring research for the study of SE-European and East Mediterranean Civilizations”.
Funding Information:
This research was funded by the National Science Center, Poland, project nr 2016/22/A/HS3/00285: “The Balkan-Aegean Dendrochronology Project. Tree ring research for the study of SE-European and East Mediterranean Civilizations”.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Authors
PY - 2021/8
Y1 - 2021/8
N2 - In the current study we use methods in dendrochronological dating, radiocarbon dating and wiggle-matching analysis to accurately date charcoal samples collected from the archaeological site of Uşaklı Höyük, Yozgat, Turkey. These data contribute to the understanding of the stratigraphical relationships in three different contexts of this multi-period mound. The examined charcoal materials were identified as cedar (Cedrus sp.) and oak (Quercus sp.). The analysis of the cedar samples resulted in establishing a floating chronology with a length of 49 rings. Further analysis of the material revealed that secure dendrochronological dating against the existing reference chronologies cannot be achieved for any of the Uşaklı Höyük samples selected for dendrochronology. This is due to the insufficient length of the developed mean chronology (49 rings), the shortness of single tree-ring sequences (max. 34 rings for cedar and 23 for oak) and the scarcity of reference chronologies that can be used for cross-dating. Therefore, we use radiocarbon tests and wiggle-matching analysis as the main dating method. Radiocarbon testing and further analysis of absolute dating of the charcoal pieces point to three different archaeological periods: the wooden post found in Room 433 of Building III is dated to the range of 1415 – 1363 BCE (2σ), confirming the assumption that it was an architectural element of the original construction of this Late Bronze Age/Hittite building. Radiocarbon dating results of charcoal pieces from the filling of Pit 330, 1008 – 905 BCE (2σ), can only be used tentatively and require cross-checking against additional samples and other organic material from the same context. The results of radiocarbon dating of charcoal samples associated with the Iron Age stone glacis built on top of Building III (763 – 486 BCE, 2σ) confirm that they are associated with the Iron Age occupation at Uşaklı Höyük.
AB - In the current study we use methods in dendrochronological dating, radiocarbon dating and wiggle-matching analysis to accurately date charcoal samples collected from the archaeological site of Uşaklı Höyük, Yozgat, Turkey. These data contribute to the understanding of the stratigraphical relationships in three different contexts of this multi-period mound. The examined charcoal materials were identified as cedar (Cedrus sp.) and oak (Quercus sp.). The analysis of the cedar samples resulted in establishing a floating chronology with a length of 49 rings. Further analysis of the material revealed that secure dendrochronological dating against the existing reference chronologies cannot be achieved for any of the Uşaklı Höyük samples selected for dendrochronology. This is due to the insufficient length of the developed mean chronology (49 rings), the shortness of single tree-ring sequences (max. 34 rings for cedar and 23 for oak) and the scarcity of reference chronologies that can be used for cross-dating. Therefore, we use radiocarbon tests and wiggle-matching analysis as the main dating method. Radiocarbon testing and further analysis of absolute dating of the charcoal pieces point to three different archaeological periods: the wooden post found in Room 433 of Building III is dated to the range of 1415 – 1363 BCE (2σ), confirming the assumption that it was an architectural element of the original construction of this Late Bronze Age/Hittite building. Radiocarbon dating results of charcoal pieces from the filling of Pit 330, 1008 – 905 BCE (2σ), can only be used tentatively and require cross-checking against additional samples and other organic material from the same context. The results of radiocarbon dating of charcoal samples associated with the Iron Age stone glacis built on top of Building III (763 – 486 BCE, 2σ) confirm that they are associated with the Iron Age occupation at Uşaklı Höyük.
KW - Absolute dating
KW - Cedar
KW - Central Anatolia
KW - Dendroarchaeology
KW - Traumatic resin canals
KW - Tree rings
KW - Wiggle-matching
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.103078
DO - 10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.103078
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85109157339
SN - 2352-409X
VL - 38
JO - Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
JF - Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
M1 - 103078
ER -