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Accelerator radiocarbon dating of human blood proteins in pigments from Late Pleistocene art sites in Australia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

T. H. Loy
Affiliation:
Department of Prehistory, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University. Canberra 2601, Australia
Rhys Jones
Affiliation:
Department of Prehistory, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University. Canberra 2601, Australia
D. E. Nelson
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
Betty Meehan
Affiliation:
The Australian Museum, Sydney 2001, Australia
John Vogel
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
John Southon
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
Richard Cosgrove
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, La Trobe University, Bundoora 3083, Australia

Abstract

Absolute dating of rock paintings has always used an indirect means, generally by dating material in strata sealing or overlying the pictures. AMS dating of very small carbon samples now allows direct determination of the age of an organic portion in the matter of the picture itself.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd 1990

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