Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T08:24:54.310Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The Courtrai chest from New College, Oxford, re-examined

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

E.T. Hall*
Affiliation:
Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, 6 Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3QJ

Abstract

The first and obvious strength of AMS and other small-sample radiocarbon techniques is in the tiny quantities of material they destroy, opening the way for 14C determinations on little and precious objects – fabric and pictures, for examples – from which no curator will sacrifice a large chunk. In this case, the object is a more substantial thing, but the point still applies; and the size of its timbers has made possible a completely independent and confirming date by dendrochronology.

This paper follows the normal ANTIQUITY convention of b.p. for uncalibrated dates.

Type
Article
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 1987

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Cox, J.C. & Harvey, A.. 1907. Engiish church furniture. 2nd ed. London: Methuen.Google Scholar
Eckstein, D., Barch, J. & Liese, W.. 1970. An oak ring-width chronology for dating historic buildings in north Germany, Holzzentralblatt 96: 6746.Google Scholar
Ffoulkes, C. 1914. A carved Flemish chest at New College, Oxford, Archaeologia 65: 11328.Google Scholar
Fletcher, J.M. 1977. Tree-ring chronologies for the 6th to 16th centuries for oaks of southern and eastern England, Journal of Archaeological. Science 4: 33552.Google Scholar
Fletcher, J.M. & Tapper, M.C.. 1984. Medieval artefacts and structures dated by dendrochronology, Medieval Archaeology 28: 11232.Google Scholar
Hall, E.T. 1980. Advances in carbon dating using high energy mass-spectrometers, Contemporary Physics 21 (4): 34558.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huber, B. & Giertz-Siebenlist, V.. 1969. Our 1000 year oak chronology, Conference Report of the Austrian Academy of Science 178: 3242.Google Scholar
Marijnessen, R.H. 1978. Medelingen van de Koninklyke Academie van Belgie, Klasse der Schone Kunsten 40: 324.Google Scholar
Roe, F. 1902. Ancient coffers and cupboards. London: Methuen.Google Scholar
Stuiver, M. 1982. A high-precision calibration of the AD radiocarbon time scale, Radiocarbon 21: 126.Google Scholar