Vienna 2003 Preview: More New Radiocarbon Dates from the New Palace Aegean - narrowing and consolidating the chronological possibilities for Late Minoan IA through Late Minoan II
Sturt W. Manning and Chistropher Bronk Ramsey

In the 1st SCIEM EuroConference volume, and in a paper in Antiquity in 2002, we presented some of the early data from a UK Natural Environment Research Council funded project on the high-resolution chronology of the Aegean New Palace period (MMIII-LMII), along with some partial or preliminary analyses.
These data, in general, seemed to support the so-called 'high' chronology for the LMIA-LMIB periods However, some of these data, and some of the indicative conclusions drawn, were regarded as controversial by some scholars. Others argued that we had relatively small numbers of samples, and that this was therefore a less than decisive basis from which to overturn orthodoxy.
In the intervening 18-24 months, we have carried out a number of new measurements at Oxford. We are delighted also to be collaborating with the VERA laboratory in Vienna. The Vienna 2003 EuroConference will be presented with an overview of the Oxford data now available from several of the sites from which we have acquired samples. In particular, we will consider:

1. New dates for the earlier New Palace Period at Trianda on Rhodes, and their comparison with our previous (2001) data. When does LMIA start?
2. The date of the LMIA Volcanic Destruction Level at Akrotiri on Thera in the light of 8 brand new measurements on seeds from storage jars. What overall constraints are there to dating the eruption at 95% confidence? And what are those dates?
3. New dates for LMII. What is happening in the 15th century BC?
4. The absolute chronology of the LMIA to LMII periods given the data available to the project as of May 2003. There is now a significant and data-rich archaeological-wiggle-matching analysis available which offers both good accuracy and precision.
5. Problems and plans.