Hostname: page-component-89b8bd64d-j4x9h Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-05-14T02:14:33.887Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Validation of a global model of taphonomic bias using geologic radiocarbon ages

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 August 2018

Lara E. Bluhm  and
Todd A. Surovell
Lara E. Bluhm*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA
Todd A. Surovell
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA
*
*Corresponding author at: Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130. E-mail address: l.bluhm@wustl.edu (L.E. Bluhm).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Temporal frequency distributions of radiocarbon ages from archaeological sites can be used as a proxy record for human paleodemography after correction for taphonomic bias, or the time dependent loss of sediments due to erosion. Surovell et al. (2009) presented a global taphonomic correction model based on radiocarbon ages from volcanic deposits that has since been used by several researchers for paleodemographic reconstructions. This method is based on the assumption that the best indicator of relative human population density over time is not the absolute abundance of archaeological materials over time but, instead, the abundance of cultural material relative to geologic contexts in which those materials can occur. To verify the Surovell et al. model, in this paper we take 2457 radiocarbon ages from geologic contexts collected from published literature to create an independent model of taphonomic bias. We find that between 1 and 39 ka, the two curves are largely indistinguishable, but that they diverge in recent times. This suggests that current global models of taphonomic correction can be used to reconstruct human populations for the late Quaternary, but that demographic reconstructions remain challenging for the most recent two millennia.

Keywords

Radiocarbon databaseTaphonomic biasPaleodemographyTemporal frequency distribution

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 91 , Issue 1 , January 2019 , pp. 325 - 328
Copyright
Copyright © University of Washington. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

REFERENCES

Ballenger, J.A.M., Mabry, J.B., 2011. Temporal frequency distributions of alluvium in the American Southwest: taphonomic, paleohydraulic, and demographic implications. Journal of Archaeological Science 38, 1314–1325.Google Scholar
Bronk Ramsey, C., 2009. Bayesian analysis of radiocarbon dates. Radiocarbon 51, 337–360.Google Scholar
Bryson, R.U., Bryson, R.A., Ruter, A., 2006. A calibrated radiocarbon database of late Quaternary volcanic eruptions. eEarth Discussions 1, 123–134.Google Scholar
Freeman, J., Byers, D.A., Robinson, E., Kelly, R.L., 2017. Culture process and the interpretation of radiocarbon data. Radiocarbon, 1–15.Google Scholar
Gajewski, K., Munoz, S., Peros, M., Viau, A., Morlan, R., Betts, M., 2011. The Canadian archaeological radiocarbon database (CARD): archaeological 14C dates in North America and their paleoenvironmental context. Radiocarbon 53, 371–394.Google Scholar
Kelly, R.L., Surovell, T.A., Shuman, B.N., Smith, G.M., 2013. A continuous climatic impact on Holocene human population in the Rocky Mountains. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 110, 443–447.Google Scholar
Munoz, S.E., Gajewski, K., Peros, M.C., 2010. Synchronous environmental and cultural change in the prehistory of the northeastern United States. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107, 22008–22013.Google Scholar
Peros, M.C., Munoz, S.E., Gajewski, K., Viau, A.E., 2010. Prehistoric demography of North America inferred from radiocarbon data. Journal of Archaeological Science 37, 656–664.Google Scholar
Reimer, P.J., Bard, E., Bayliss, A., Beck, J.W., Blackwell, P.G., Bronk Ramsey, C., Buck, C.E., et al., 2013. IntCal13 and Marine13 radiocarbon age calibration curves 0–50,000 years cal BP. Radiocarbon 55, 1869–1887.Google Scholar
Shennan, S., Downey, S.S., Timpson, A., Edinborough, K., Colledge, S., Kerig, T., Manning, K., Thomas, M.G., 2013. Regional population collapse followed initial agriculture booms in mid-Holocene Europe. Nature Communications 4, 2486. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms3486.Google Scholar
Surovell, T.A., Brantingham, P.J., 2007. A note on the use of temporal frequency distributions in studies of prehistoric demography. Journal of Archaeological Science 34:1868–1877.Google Scholar
Surovell, T.A., Finley, J.B., Smith, G.M., Brantingham, P.J., Kelly, R., 2009. Correcting temporal frequency distributions for taphonomic bias. Journal of Archaeological Science 36, 1715–1724.Google Scholar
Surovell, T.A., Pelton, S.R., 2016. Spatio-temporal variation in the preservation of ancient faunal remains. Biology Letters 12, 20150823.Google Scholar
Taylor, R.E., 1987. Radiocarbon Dating: An Archaeological Perspective. Academic Press, Orlando.Google Scholar
Williams, A.N., 2012. The use of summed radiocarbon probability distributions in archaeology: a review of methods. Journal of Archaeological Science 39,578–589.Google Scholar
Williams, A.N., 2013. A new population curve for prehistoric Australia. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 280. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.0486.Google Scholar
Williams, A.N., Veth, P., Steffen, W., Ulm, S., Turney, C.S.M., Reeves, J.M., Phipps, S.J., Smith, M., 2015. A continental narrative: human settlement patterns and Australian climate change over the last 35,000 years. Quaternary Science Reviews 123, 91–112.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Bluhm and Surovell supplementary material

Bluhm and Surovell supplementary material 1

Download Bluhm and Surovell supplementary material(File)
File 173.8 KB