The Ifao Radiocarbon Laboratory

A Status Report

Bibliographic Data

ID9246164
AuthorsAnita Quiles (0000-0002-2933-4472), Nagui Sabri Kamal, Mostafa Abd’el Fatah, Nadine Mounir
Year2017
Volume59
Issue4
Pages1157-1169
Publication date2017-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueRadiocarbon (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0033-8222 • E-ISSN: 1945-5755
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/rdc.2017.35
OpenAlexW2620842021
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited14

The Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale (IFAO) in Cairo is one of the major French research centers abroad. It is placed under the aegis of the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research and manages an archaeometry department that features laboratories for three units of research: conservation, material studies, and radiocarbon ( 14 C). The 14 C laboratory was founded in 2006 to offer the possibility of 14 C dating in Egypt. It is totally devoted to archaeological issues, uses the conventional liquid scintillation counting (LSC) method, and is equipped with two benzene synthesis lines. This paper reports on the performances and quality-control procedures of the IFAO 14 C laboratory, both from the perspective of the chemical syntheses and from the radiometric measurements (background dispersion, standards, intercomparison programs). It shows how this lab occupies a privileged position to develop interdisciplinary studies of Egyptian chronology and to offer high-standard competencies to the IFAO scientific research programs. Finally, it raises the question of the future perspectives of the laboratory

Archaeological science · Archaeology · Christian ministry · Geography · Library science · Liquid scintillation counting · Political science · Radiocarbon dating · Radiochemistry · Radiometric dating · Remote sensing · Archaeological Research and Protection · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Chemistry · Computer Science · Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis · History