Mortar Dating Methodology: Assessing Recurrent Issues and Needs for Further Research

Roald Hayen (1) , Mark van Strydonck (1) , Laurent Fontaine (1) , Mathieu Boudin (1) , Alf Lindroos (2) , Jan Heinemeier (3) , Åsa Ringbom (2) , Danuta Michalska (4) , Irka Hajdas (5) , Sophie Hueglin (6) , Fabio Marzaioli (7) , Filippo Terrasi (7) , Isabella Passariello (7) , Manuela Capano (7) , Francesco Maspero (8) , Laura Panzeri (8) , Anna Galli (8) , Gilberto Artioli (9) , Anna Addis (9) , Michele Secco (9) , Elisabetta Boaretto (10) , Christophe Moreau (11) , Pierre Guibert (12) , Petra Urbanová (12) , Justyna Czernik (13) , Tomasz Goslar (13) , Marta Caroselli (14)

1 KIK-IRPA - Institut Royal du Patrimoine Artistique | Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage
2 Åbo Akademi University [Turku]
3 Aarhus University [Aarhus]
4 UAM - Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu = Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań
5 ETH Zürich - Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology [Zürich]
6 Newcastle University [Newcastle]
7 Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli = Second University of Naples
8 UNIMIB - Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca = University of Milano-Bicocca
9 Unipd - Università degli Studi di Padova = University of Padua
10 WPWC - Max Planck Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology
11 CEA - CEA- Saclay
12 IRAMAT-CRP2A - IRAMAT-Centre de recherche en physique appliquée à l’archéologie
13 Poznań Radiocarbon Laboratory | Poznańskie Laboratorium Radiowęglowe
14 SUPSI - Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana = University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland [Manno]

Absolute dating of mortars is crucial when trying to pin down construction phases of archaeological sites and historic stone buildings to a certain point in time or to confirm, but possibly also challenge, existing chronologies. To evaluate various sample preparation methods for radiocarbon (14C) dating of mortars as well as to compare different dating methods, i.e. 14C and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), a mortar dating intercomparison study (MODIS) was set up, exploring existing limits and needs for further research. Four mortar samples were selected and distributed among the participating laboratories: one of which was expected not to present any problem related to the sample preparation methodologies for anthropogenic lime extraction, whereas all others addressed specific known sample preparation issues. Data obtained from the various mortar dating approaches are evaluated relative to the historical framework of the mortar samples and any deviation observed is contextualized to the composition and specific mineralogy of the sampled material.

Mots clés: lime; mortar dating; OSL; radiocarbon AMS dating

Domaines: Chimie

Roald Hayen, Mark van Strydonck, Laurent Fontaine, Mathieu Boudin, Alf Lindroos, et al.. Mortar Dating Methodology: Assessing Recurrent Issues and Needs for Further Research. Radiocarbon, 2017, 59 (06), pp.1859 - 1871. ⟨10.1017/RDC.2017.129⟩. ⟨hal-01683992⟩