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Reanalysis of the Chronological Discrepancies Obtained by the Old and Middle Kingdom Monuments Project

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

M W Dee ,
C Bronk Ramsey ,
A J Shortland ,
T F G Higham  and
J M Rowland
M W Dee*
Affiliation:
Research Laboratory for Archaeology, University of Oxford, Dyson Perrins Building, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY, United Kingdom
C Bronk Ramsey
Affiliation:
Research Laboratory for Archaeology, University of Oxford, Dyson Perrins Building, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY, United Kingdom
A J Shortland
Affiliation:
Centre for Archaeological and Forensic Analysis, Cranfield University, Shrivenham, Swindon SN6 8LA, United Kingdom
T F G Higham
Affiliation:
Research Laboratory for Archaeology, University of Oxford, Dyson Perrins Building, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY, United Kingdom
J M Rowland
Affiliation:
Research Laboratory for Archaeology, University of Oxford, Dyson Perrins Building, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY, United Kingdom
*
Corresponding author. Email: michael.dee@stx.ox.ac.uk
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Abstract

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The most extensive chronometric study ever undertaken on Egyptian Dynastic sites was published in Radiocarbon by Bonani et al. (2001). It comprised 269 radiocarbon measurements on monuments ranging from the 1st–12th dynasties. However, many of the calibrated dates obtained were significantly offset from historical estimates. The greatest discrepancies occurred in the 4th Dynasty where, paradoxically, the dating program had been most rigorous. For this period, 158 measurements were made at 12 sites, with the majority of the dates being 200–300 yr older than expected. The 4th Dynasty results were especially significant as they included some of the most important monuments in Egypt. In this paper, the raw data from that study have been reanalyzed using the OxCal calibration program, making particular use of its new outlier detection functionality. This Bayesian approach has resulted in a new series of calibrations that show much closer agreement with conventional chronological records.

Type
Statistical Applications
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 51 , Issue 3 , 2009 , pp. 1061 - 1070
Copyright
Copyright © 2009 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

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