Anatolian Tree Rings and a New Chronology for the East Mediterranean Bronze-Iron Ages

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 294; no. 5551; pp. 2532 - 2535
• Main Authors: Manning, Sturt W., Kromer, Bernd, Kuniholm, Peter Ian, Newton, Maryanne W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for the Advancement of Science 21.12.2001; American Association for the Advancement of Science; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Archaeology; Atmosphere; Bayes Theorem; Best fit; Biological and medical sciences; Carbon dating; Carbon Dioxide; Carbon Radioisotopes; Data ranges; Datasets; Dendrochronology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Geological time; Germany; Growth rings; Ireland; Laboratories; Least Squares Statistics; Least-Squares Analysis; Methods; Molecular and cellular biology; Outliers; Pinus - growth & development; Quercus - growth & development; Radiocarbon; Radiocarbon dating; Seasons; Software; Timber; Time; Trees; Trees - growth & development; Tumuli; Turkey; Wood; Ireland; Germany; Turkey; Mediterranean region; Anatolia
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1066112

We report an extensive program of high-precision radiocarbon dating to establish the best date for a floating 1599-year Anatolian tree ring chronology that spans the later third millennium B.C. through the earlier first millennium B.C. This chronology is directly associated with a number of key sites and ancient personages. A previously suggested dating is withdrawn and is replaced by a robust new date fix 22 (+ 4 or -7) years earlier. These new radiocarbon wiggle-matched dates offer a unique independent resource for establishing the precise chronology of the ancient Near East and Aegean and help resolve, among others, a long-standing debate in favor of the so-called Middle Mesopotamian chronology.