This proposal is an interdisciplinary initiative of archaeologists and nuclear physicists to substantially improve the absolute chronology of archaeologically interesting cultures in Austria and Central Europe by using 14C dating with Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS). An improved absolute chronology based on precise 14C dating would lead to a better understanding of the interactions between early cultures and would help to deepen our insight into the rich diversity of pre-historic life in Austria and adjacent countries. The 14C dating will be performed at the Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator (VERA), a new centre for AMS at the Institut for Radiumforschung und Kernphysik of the University of Vienna, which came into operation in 1996.
In the last few decades, increased construction activities in Austria unearthed a number of archaeologically interesting sites, and a large number of samples are stored in archives awaiting their analysis. We propose to start this task by performing 14C measurements at VERA. Besides analysing samples from a variety of well-documented sites throughout Austria and adjacent countries, emphasis will be put on a detailed analysis of the Early Bronze Age Cemetery from Franzhausen I in Lower Austria (2200 BC to 1500 BC), and on the entire Avar Period (568 AD to ~830 AD). Absolute age determinations for both periods would be of great interest since mainly relative chronologies are available.
In order to achieve the goals outlined above, it is necessary to complement the present 14C dating capabilities of VERA. For both the correction of mass fractionation and a unique identification of sample material - particularly if the subtleties of bone dating are to be tackled - high-precision stable isotope ratio mass spectrometry to determine 13C and 15N is required. Therefore, a substantial portion of the cost for the present project lies in the purchase of a modern stable isotope ratio mass spectrometer and related equipment to be used in conjunction with the AMS measurements. These instrumental additions would ideally complement the AMS capabilities of VERA for archaeological and other applications.