<p>Despite the proliferation of radiocarbon dating and the development of different quantitative tools for seriation, the relative chronologies of many prehistoric sites remain untested. These chronologies largely influence current research and should be re-evaluated using more formal methods, when possible. Even when radiocarbon dates are available, they are rarely compared rigorously with relative chronological sequences. In this study, we propose a quantitative method that simultaneously generates and validates seriation solutions with radiocarbon dates. This method accounts for both the complexity of constructing reliable seriations and the inherent uncertainty of radiocarbon measurements and calibration. We demonstrate its application through a case study of the Bronze Age necropolis at Mokrin (Serbia), which is among the most significant Early Bronze Age sites in Southeastern Europe. Using a substantial pottery assemblage from 167 graves, we first classify the ceramic vessels into types based on their shape using geometric morphometrics and then perform a seriation, which we compare with the available radiocarbon dates. Our results indicate that the morphology of the Mokrin funerary ceramics is chronologically sensitive, allowing us to propose a four-phase periodization of the necropolis. In addition to using its material to illustrate the implementation of the proposed method, this research contributes to the region’s Bronze Age archaeology by establishing the relative chronology of this important site.</p>

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Validating Pottery Seriation with Radiocarbon Dates: Relative and Absolute Chronology of the Early Bronze Age Necropolis in Mokrin

  • Marko Porčić,
  • Mihailo Radinović,
  • Marija Krečković Gavrilović

摘要

Despite the proliferation of radiocarbon dating and the development of different quantitative tools for seriation, the relative chronologies of many prehistoric sites remain untested. These chronologies largely influence current research and should be re-evaluated using more formal methods, when possible. Even when radiocarbon dates are available, they are rarely compared rigorously with relative chronological sequences. In this study, we propose a quantitative method that simultaneously generates and validates seriation solutions with radiocarbon dates. This method accounts for both the complexity of constructing reliable seriations and the inherent uncertainty of radiocarbon measurements and calibration. We demonstrate its application through a case study of the Bronze Age necropolis at Mokrin (Serbia), which is among the most significant Early Bronze Age sites in Southeastern Europe. Using a substantial pottery assemblage from 167 graves, we first classify the ceramic vessels into types based on their shape using geometric morphometrics and then perform a seriation, which we compare with the available radiocarbon dates. Our results indicate that the morphology of the Mokrin funerary ceramics is chronologically sensitive, allowing us to propose a four-phase periodization of the necropolis. In addition to using its material to illustrate the implementation of the proposed method, this research contributes to the region’s Bronze Age archaeology by establishing the relative chronology of this important site.