Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte

Labor für Radiokarbondatierung

The laboratory was installed in 1967 by Dr. Jürgen Freundlich and has been running essentially without interruption ever since. In the last ca.30 years a total of 4700 dates have been measured. Since 1992 the lab is directed by Dr.Bernhard Weninger .Technical assistance is by Dipl.Ing. Pavel Velicky and Eberhard Norkus.

The lab is equipped with two proportional counters, heavily shielded against cosmic radiation by 30 cm lead and 20 cm boron loaded paraffin. The counters (called Z III and Z IV) have active volumes of 0.7 liter and are filled to 3 atm with purified carbon dioxide. Modern ¹⁴C count rates (0.95 Oxalic acid) are 10.55 +/- 0.01 cpm (Z III) and 10.22 +/- 0.01 cpm (Z IV). Backgrounds are stable 0.7 cpm (Z III) and 1.4cpm (Z IV). Max dating precision achievable (10 days count) is 0.3 %. Dating limits are 46.000 BP (Z III) and 42.000 BP (Z IV).

Dating capacity is ca. 120 dates per year. Typical samples are charcoal (min 6 g), wood (20 g) and bones (300 g). Most samples are measured twice, independently, for total 4-6 days in the two counters, giving typical 1 sigma standard deviation +/- 40 to +/- 60 BP (sample age 1000 to 6000 BP).

We can, sometimes, afford to date the "one-and-only sensational sample, never again to be found, but unfortunately no funding available" free of charge. But generally dating costs are DM 300,- /charcoal and DM 400,- /bone collagen the dates. The dates are designated 'KN -'. We are presently (measuring season 1995-1996) engaged in the following dating projects :

• Cyprus. Late Bronze Age.
  (Dr.Sturt Manning, GB-Univ. Reading. N=15. 3000-3500 BP).
  
• Nepal. High-mountain archaeology project.
  (Dr. Angela Simons, M.A.Werner Schön, D-Univ.Köln. N=50).
  
• Germany. Various medieval, bronze age and neolithic sites.
  (among others : Dr.Brink-Kloke D-Dortmund, M.A. Dirk Raetzel-Fabian D-Kassel. N=40).
  
• Afrika. Various archaeological sites.
  (Dr. Kuper D-Univ.Köln, Prof.Dr. Peter Breunig D-Univ.Frankfurt/M., M.A. Ralf Vogelsang D-Univ.Frankfurt/M. . N=30. Modern to 5000 BP).
  
• Jordan. Pre-pottery neolithic.
  (Prof.Dr. Rolf Rollefson, Ain-Ghazal research institute. N=10).
  

Special research interests are :

• Extension of the ¹⁴C calibration curve beyond 10000 BP.
  (Dendrochronology, U/Th, Ice-cores).
  
• Calibration methods for archaeological date series.
  Graphic display in context with paleo-climate data, statistical methods, e.g. wiggle matching, Monte Carlo).
  

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