Ultrafiltration Pretreatment for 14 C Dating of Fossil Bones from Archaeological Sites in Japan

Bibliographic Data

ID9245481
AuthorsM Minami, K Sakata, M Takigami, T Nagaoka, T Nakamura (0000-0002-4244-9119)
Year2013
Volume55
Issue2
Pages481-490
Publication date2013-01-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueRadiocarbon (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0033-8222 • E-ISSN: 1945-5755
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0033822200057611
OpenAlexW2023605167
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited15

To study the effect of ultrafiltration on the radiocarbon ages of relatively poorly preserved bones in Japan, we analyzed the 14 C dates of high-molecular-weight (HMW) gelatin samples and compared them with those of other extracted organic fractions, unfiltered gelatin samples extracted from NaOH-treated or NaOH-untreated collagen, and XAD-purified hydrolysates of animal fossil bones (∼4600 BP; gelatin yield of 2–4%) from the Awazu underwater archaeological site, Shiga, Japan. NaOH-treated, unfiltered gelatins and XAD-purified hydrolysates showed statistically similar 14 C ages to those of HMW gelatins. The 14 C ages of the HMW gelatins were the oldest and similar to those of wood collected from the same layer as the bones, and the NaOH-treated, unfiltered gelatins gave 14 C ages within the acceptable margins of error; therefore, ultrafiltration was effective for accurate 14 C dating, while NaOH-treated gelatin without ultrafiltration was also sufficient to obtain accurate 14 C dates on the animal bones. The 14 C ages of human skeletons (∼750 BP; gelatin yield of 2–11%) from 5 individuals excavated from an archaeological site in Yuigahama, Kamakura, Japan, showed statistically the same 14 C ages as NaOH-treated, unfiltered gelatins and HMW gelatins within the margins of error, although HMW gelatins were likely to give slightly older ages than unfiltered gelatin with a yield of less than ∼3%. These results indicate that unfiltered gelatins extracted from fossil bones of gelatin yield more than ∼3% can produce accurate 14 C ages without the need for ultrafiltration. Ten bone fragments from 3 humans showed the same 14 C ages for each individual, suggesting that any bone part from an individual can be used to obtain a representative age. The 14 C ages of tooth enamels of 2 individuals were 35 and 70 yr older than their bone ages. Death dates obtained from these age gaps agreed with those determined by morphology

Animal science · Archaeology · Biology · Chromatography · Gelatin · Geography · Hydrolysate · Hydrolysis · Metallurgy · Mineralogy · Radiocarbon dating · Ultrafiltration (renal) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Chemistry · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Materials Science · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Biochemistry · Geology

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