Two Clocks

Radiocarbon analysis and ceramic typology assessment are commonly used to date late Holocene archaeological sites in Island Southeast Asia. We apply both methods to date the site of Macapainara in East Timor, and they produce substantially different age ranges for this site. The radiocarbon dates are consistently later in time than ceramic typology dates from the same or adjacent stratigraphic levels. We assess the various sources of error for the two dating techniques that could produce this discrepancy, and conclude that the ceramic typology age ranges are misleadingly old due to concerted curation of fine ceramics by the site occupants. We discuss the implications of this for dating sites in East Timor and elsewhere within Island Southeast Asia

Ancient history · Archaeology · Chronology · East Asia · Geoarchaeology · Geography · Holocene · Radiocarbon dating · Southeast asia · Typology · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Geology · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research · History · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies

• The Archaeology of Sulawesi

  Sue O'Connor, David Bulbeck et al.•The Archaeology of Sulawesi•2018

  Añadir item

• Early Metal Age Pottery from Fatu Aki Anik Knua, Timor-Leste and the Appearance of Ceramics in the Wallacean Islands

  Open Access•Phillip Beaumont, Sue O''Connor et al.•Journal of Indo-Pacific Archaeology•2020

  Añadir item

• The emergence of pottery-using communities in Lautem District, Timor Leste

  Open Access•Phillip Beaumont, Sue O''Connor et al.•Archaeological Research in Asia•2026

  Añadir item

• Seriation Based on Agglomerative Clustering

  Open Access•D Bulbeck•International Journal of…•2019

  Añadir item

• Recovering a legend

  Open Access•Phillip Beaumont, Shimona Kealy et al.•The Journal of Island and Coastal…•2026

  Añadir item

• Paleoclimates and the emergence of fortifications in the tropical Pacific islands

  Open Access•Julie S Field, Peter V Lape•Journal of Anthropological…•2010

  Añadir item

• Chronology of Fortified Settlements in East Timor

  Peter V Lape•The Journal of Island and Coastal…•2006

  Añadir item

• Examining the Origin of Fortifications in East Timor

  Sue O''Connor, A Mcwilliam et al.•The Journal of Island and Coastal…•2012

  Añadir item

• BCal

  Open Access•Caitlin E Buck, J Andrés Christen et al.•Internet Archaeology•1999

  Añadir item

• Shcal04 Southern Hemisphere Calibration, 0–11.0 Cal Kyr BP

  Open Access•F G Mccormac, A G Hogg et al.•Radiocarbon•2004

  Añadir item

• Fortification as a human response to late Holocene climate change in East Timor

  Open Access•Peter V Lape, Chao Chin‐yung•Archaeology in Oceania/Archæology…•2008

  Añadir item

• Seriation Method and Its Evaluation

  Open Access•Robert C Dunnell•American Antiquity•1970

  Añadir item