A Re-Evaluation of the Reliability of AMS Dates on Pottery Food Residues from the Late Prehistoric Central Plains of North America

Comment on Roper (2013)

Bibliographic Data

ID11587488
AuthorsJ P Hart (0000-0003-2009-0624, corresponding author), William A Lovis (0000-0002-9221-7447)
Year2014
Volume56
Issue1
Pages341-353
Publication date2014-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueRadiocarbon (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0033-8222 • E-ISSN: 1945-5755
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2458/56.16898
OpenAlexW2115603661
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited42

Ancient carbon reservoirs in freshwater bodies have the potential to introduce ancient carbon into charred cooking residues adhering to pottery wall interiors when aquatic organisms are parts of cooked resource mixes. This ancient carbon results in old apparent ages when these cooking residues are subjected to accelerator mass spectrometry dating, the so-called freshwater reservoir effect (FRE). Roper's (2013) assessment of the FRE on 14 C ages from cooking residue in the Central Plains is only the second such peer-reviewed regional assessment in eastern North America. Roper suggests that 13 of 23 14 C ages on residue are too old as a result of ancient carbon from fish or leached from shell temper or old carbon introduced via maize nixtamalization. Herein, we re-assess Roper's data set of 14 C ages on cooking residues and annual plants and argue that she is mistaken in her assessment of the accuracies of 14 C ages from residues. This outcome is placed in the context of the larger FRE literature

Accelerator mass spectrometry · Archaeology · Context (archaeology · Geography · Pottery · Prehistory · Radiocarbon dating · Residue (chemistry · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Chemistry · Isotope Analysis in Ecology · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies

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