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SUITABILITY OF ACID-SOLUBLE AND ACID-INSOLUBLE LEATHER FRACTIONS IN RADIOCARBON DATING

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 October 2020

Alyssa M Tate ,
Brittany Hundman Open the ORCID record for Brittany Hundman [Opens in a new window]  and
Jonathan Heile
Alyssa M Tate
Affiliation:
DirectAMS, 11822 North Creek Pkwy N, Ste. 107, Bothell, WA98011USA
Brittany Hundman*
Affiliation:
DirectAMS, 11822 North Creek Pkwy N, Ste. 107, Bothell, WA98011USA
Jonathan Heile
Affiliation:
DirectAMS, 11822 North Creek Pkwy N, Ste. 107, Bothell, WA98011USA
*
*Corresponding author. Email: bhundman@directams.net.
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Abstract

Leather has been produced by a variety of methods throughout human history, providing researchers unique insight into multiple facets of social and economic life in the past. Archaeologically recovered leather is often fragile and poorly preserved, leading to the use of various conservation and restoration efforts that may include the application of fats, oils, or waxes. Such additives introduce exogenous carbon to the leather, contaminating the specimen. These contaminants, in addition to those accumulated during interment, must be removed through chemical pretreatment prior to radiocarbon (14C) dating to ensure accurate dating. DirectAMS utilizes organic solvents, acid-base-acid (ABA) and gelatinization for all leather samples. Collagen yield from leather samples is variable due to the method of production and the quality of preservation. However, evaluating the acid-soluble collagen fraction, when available, provides the most accurate 14C dates for leather samples. In instances where gelatinization does not yield sufficient material, the resulting acid-insoluble fraction may be dated. Here we examine the effectiveness of the combined organic solvent and ABA pretreatment with gelatinization for leather samples, as well as the suitability of the acid-insoluble fraction for 14C dating.

Keywords

leatherpretreatmentradiocarbon AMS dating
Type
Conference Paper
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 62 , Issue 6: Proceedings of the 9th International Symposium , December 2020 , pp. 1699 - 1706
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Copyright
© 2020 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona

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Footnotes

Selected Papers from the 9th Radiocarbon & Archaeology Symposium, Athens, GA, USA, 20–24 May 2019

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