Bernd Kromer

INTCAL98 radiocarbon age calibration, 24,000-0 cal BP

The focus of this paper is the conversion of radiocarbon ages to calibrated (cal) ages for the interval 24,000-0 cal BP (Before Present, 0 cal BP = AD 1950), based upon a sample set of dendrochronologically dated tree rings, uranium-thorium dated corals, and varve-counted marine sediment. The 14C age-cal age information, produced by many laboratories, is converted to 14C profiles and calibration curves, for the atmosphere as well as the oceans. We discuss offsets in measured 14C ages and the errors therein, regional 14C age differences, tree-coral 14C age comparisons and the time dependence of marine reservoir ages, and evaluate decadal vs. single-year 14C results. Changes in oceanic deepwater circulation, especially for the 16,000-11,000 cal BP interval, are reflected in the Δ 14C values of INTCAL98.

IntCal04 terrestrial radiocarbon age calibration, 0-26 cal kyr BP.

A new calibration curve for the conversion of radiocarbon ages to calibrated (cal) ages has been constructed and internationally ratified to replace IntCal98, which extended from 0-24 cal kyr BP (Before Present, 0 cal BP = AD 1950). The new calibration data set for terrestrial samples extends from 0-26 cal kyr BP, but with much higher resolution beyond 11.4 cal kyr BP than IntCal98. Dendrochronologically-dated tree-ring samples cover the period from 0-12.4 cal kyr BP. Beyond the end of the tree rings, data from marine records (corals and foraminifera) are converted to the atmospheric equivalent with a site-specific marine reservoir correction to provide terrestrial calibration from 12.4-26.0 cal kyr BP. A substantial enhancement relative to IntCal98 is the introduction of a coherent statistical approach based on a random walk model, which takes into account the uncertainty in both the calendar age and the 14C age to calculate the underlying calibration curve (Buck and Blackwell, this issue). The tree-ring data sets, sources of uncertainty, and regional offsets are discussed here. The marine data sets and calibration curve for marine samples from the surface mixed layer (Marine04) are discussed in brief, but details are presented in Hughen et al. (this issue a). We do not make a recommendation for calibration beyond 26 cal kyr BP at this time; however, potential calibration data sets are compared in another paper (van der Plicht et al., this issue).

NotCal04; comparison/ calibration 14C records 26-50 cal kyr BP

The radiocarbon calibration curve IntCal04 extends back to 26 cal kyr BP. While several high-resolution records exist beyond this limit, these data sets exhibit discrepancies of up to several millennia. As a result, no calibration curve for the time range 26-50 cal kyr BP can be recommended as yet, but in this paper the IntCal04 working group compares the available data sets and offers a discussion of the information that they hold.

PRELIMINARY REPORT OF THE FIRST WORKSHOP OF THE INTCAL04 RADIOCARBON CALIBRATION/COMPARISON WORKING GROUP

The first meeting of the IntCal04 working group took place at Queens University Belfast from April 15 to 17, 2002. The participants are listed as co-authors of this report. The meeting considered criteria for the acceptance of data into the next official calibration dataset, the importance of including reliable estimates of uncertainty in both the radiocarbon ages and the cal ages, and potential methods for combining datasets. This preliminary report summarizes the criteria that were dis- cussed, but does not yet give specific recommendations for inclusion or exclusion of individual datasets.

6. Radiocarbon Dating Iron Age Gordion, and the Early Phrygian Destruction in Particular

1. Table 6.1. Unfortunately the last line (row) of the original Table was not printed. Thus one 14 C date (Hd-23655) is not listed there. There are thus in all 15 14 C dates on short-lived samples (barley, lentils or flax seeds) from the YHSS 6A Destruction Level at Gordion as shown in Figures 6.3a and 6.3b of the printed text. Another inconsistency/typo is that the quoted calibrated age ranges were meant to be rounded to the nearest 5 years, but this was not done for Hd-23638 in the printed table (it should be 895-800). Finally, it should be made clear that the calibrated age ranges are dates BC. A corrected version of Table 6.1 is provided below. Corrections are highlighted in yellow.