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Is Tooth Enamel Carbonate a Suitable Material for Radiocarbon Dating?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

R. E. M. Hedges ,
J.A. Lee-Thorp  and
N. C. Tuross
R. E. M. Hedges
Affiliation:
Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, Oxford University, 6 Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3QJ England
J.A. Lee-Thorp
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7700 South Africa
N. C. Tuross
Affiliation:
Conservation Analytical Laboratory, Museum Support Center, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560 USA
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Abstract

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We present the results of 18 radiocarbon determinations on the carbonate fraction of tooth enamel prepared from nine separate teeth. The known ages of the teeth vary from 11 to >200 ka bp, and are from three sites. The sample preparation procedures varied somewhat, but were broadly based on procedures found to give satisfactory results on carbon stable isotope measurements. All the 14C dates obtained are too young, by an equivalent contamination of ca. 6% Modern (pMC). This value is fairly consistent despite variations in sample preparation. We discuss the implications for using enamel as a possible alternative to bone when insufficient collagen is available.

Type
II. 14C in Archaeology
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 37 , Issue 2 , 1995 , pp. 285 - 290
Copyright
Copyright © the Department of Geosciences, The University of Arizona 

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