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Direct radiocarbon dating of megalithic paints from north-west Iberia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 March 2015

K.L. Steelman ,
F. Carrera Ramírez ,
R. Fábregas Valcarce ,
T. Guilderson  and
M.W. Rowe
K.L. Steelman
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry, 205 Laney Hall, University of Central Arkansas, 201 Donaghey Avenue, Conway, AR 72035, USA (Email: ksteel@uca.edu)
F. Carrera Ramírez
Affiliation:
Escola Superior de Conservación e Restauración de Bens Culturais de Galicia, Rua Xeneral Martitegui s/n 36002 Pontevedra, Spain (Email: fernandocarrera@wanadoo.es)
R. Fábregas Valcarce
Affiliation:
Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Departamento de Historia 1, Facultade de Xeografía e Historia, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain (Email: phfabreg@usc.es)
T. Guilderson
Affiliation:
Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Departamento de Historia 1, Facultade de Xeografía e Historia, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain (Email: phfabreg@usc.es)
M.W. Rowe
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry, 205 Laney Hall, University of Central Arkansas, 201 Donaghey Avenue, Conway, AR 72035, USA (Email: ksteel@uca.edu)
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Abstract

Using plasma chemistry, carbon was extracted from charcoal paint samples collected from megalithic monuments in north-west Iberia. Nine accelerator mass spectrometric radiocarbon dates on these paints establish their age to be within 1000 14C years of each other, centred at approximately 5000 BP. These radiocarbon ages for megalithic paintings fall within the proposed time period for north-west Iberian megalithic culture. Multiple layers of paint on some stones show that more than one painting episode occurred.

Keywords

megalithic monumentsdolmensrock paintingsradiocarbon datingAMSplasma-chemical extractionnorth-west Iberia
Type
Method
Information
Antiquity , Volume 79 , Issue 304 , June 2005 , pp. 379 - 389
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 2005

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