AMS 14C age of the Upper Palaeolithic skeletons from Sungir site, Central Russian Plain

• Published in: Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section B, Beam interactions with materials and atoms Vol. 223-224; pp. 731 - 734
• Main Authors: Kuzmin, Y.V, Burr, G.S, Jull, A.J.T, Sulerzhitsky, L.D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.08.2004
• Subjects: AMS 14C dating; Central Russian Plain; Human bone collagen; Russia; Sungir site; Upper Palaeolithic; AMS 14C dating; Sungir site; 91.35.N; Upper Palaeolithic; Human bone collagen; Central Russian Plain; Russia
• ISSN: 0168-583X; 1872-9584
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nimb.2004.04.135

Bones of three human individuals, found at the Upper Palaeolithic site of Sungir (central European Russia) in graves with unique adornments and other rich burial goods, have recently been 14C-dated at the NSF-Arizona AMS Facility. Collagen for dating was extracted using slow demineralization of whole bone fragments in weak hydrochloric acid. For the Sungir 1 burial, a 14C value of ≈19200 BP was obtained; for the double burial Sungir 2 and 3, 14C values of ≈26200–27200 BP (average ≈26400 BP) were obtained. This contradicts earlier 14C dates made at the Oxford AMS Lab, with collagen extracted following Longin's technique: ≈22900 BP for Sungir 1; and ≈23800–24100 BP (average ≈23900 BP) for Sungir 2 and 3. The use of two different techniques of collagen extraction for the Tucson and Oxford dates might be the cause of the age differences. Additional studies need to be conducted to resolve these 14C age differences.