The chronology of Tell el-Daba: A crucial meeting point of Radiocarbon dating, Archaeology, and Egyptology in the Second Millenium BC

Autor(en)

Walter Kutschera, Manfred Bietak, Eva Maria Wild, Christopher Bronk Ramsey, Michael W. Dee, Robin Golser, Karin Kopetzky, Peter Stadler, Ursula Thanheiser, Franz Weninger

Abstrakt

Radiocarbon dating at the Tell el-Daba site in the Nile Delta has

created an enigma for many years. Despite great efforts, the difference

of about 120 yr between the chronology based on 14C dates and the one

based on archaeological evidence linked to the Egyptian historical

chronology has not been solved. In order to foster open discussions on

this discrepancy, we present here the results of 40 14C accelerator mass

spectrometry (AMS) measurements on short-lived plant material assigned

to 14 different phases of the Tell el-Daba excavation, spanning 600 yr

(about 2000–1400 BC). On the one hand, the recently established

agreement between 14C dates and dynastic Egypt (Bronk Ramsey et al.

2010) makes it unlikely that the problem lies in the 14C dates and/or

the Egyptian historical chronology. On the other hand, the extensive

archaeological evidence from Tell el-Daba linked to many different

cultures in the eastern Mediterranean and to the Egyptian historical

chronology provides strong evidence for an absolute chronology shifted

by about 120 yr with respect to the 14C dates.

Organisation(en)

Isotopenphysik, Institut für Ägyptologie, Institut für Urgeschichte und Historische Archäologie

Externe Organisation(en)

University of Oxford, Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften (ÖAW)

Journal

Radiocarbon

Band

54

Seiten

407-422

Anzahl der Seiten

16

ISSN

0033-8222

Publikationsdatum

2012

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ÖFOS 2012

1030 Physik, Astronomie

Link zum Portal

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/e2a68b0b-bbe8-40b0-b1cb-aa494964c122