Archaeological site 3 in Ulów is in an area previously thought not to have been settled before historical times. Systematic excavation work that began there in 2002 revealed long-term occupation from the Late Palaeolithic to the Middle Ages. The majority of archaeological features represent a cemetery belonging to the Late Roman and Early Migration periods (III–V c. AD, Wielbark culture). The site’s relative chronology was determined from analyses of archaeological artifacts. To complete the chronological framework required for a proper interpretation of cultural processes, a group of charcoal fragments was selected for radiocarbon (14C) dating. These charcoals were first taxonomically identified and weighed, and then designated for accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and conventional 14C analyses. The datings (n=43) indicated three main chronological horizons. Some of the graves from the Wielbark culture contained charcoals of younger or older age, posing problems in interpreting taphonomic processes at this multicultural site. In the light of the 14C dating results, the chronology of several features previously attributed to the Wielbark culture was re-interpreted.

This article presents the results of interdisciplinary analysis of samples from the Czarnówko archaeological site in northern Poland, reporting the first radiocarbon dates for the site in comparison with its relative chronology. The site is of high importance because of its scale and opulence of artifacts. It was used for over 900 yr, from the 7th century BC up to the 3rd century AD, by populations of different cultures (the Lusatian, Pomeranian, Oksywie, and Wielbark). Samples of charcoal, wood, and textile were collected from different features, most of them from burials. Charcoal was taken from cremation pits, while wood was sampled from coffins in skeletal burials. Among samples collected during archaeological excavations in 2008 and 2010, 20 were chosen for 14C dating and macro- and microscopic observations. Images taken using a scanning electron microscope revealed the microstructure and preservation level of the specimens. An emphasis was also placed on geomorphological and geological research of the site area to gain information about the environmental conditions influencing the samples’ preservation state, e.g. pH, type, origin and permeability of sediment, and accumulation of organic matter. The obtained calibrated 14C ages are in agreement with the relative chronology based on the typology of artifacts and stratigraphic site reconstructions.