Project description
A novel carbon-14 dating method for pottery is on the horizon
Putting an exact date on an archaeological find is important to our understanding of human evolution and the cultures of the past. Carbon-14 (14C) dating has been instrumental for finds of biological origin. Pottery, a common find at archaeological sites, is lacking in organic carbon. Typology is used instead to classify the remains based on similarities in form, construction, style, content and/or use to other finds. The EU-funded LIPDAT project is working towards commercialisation of a previously developed 14C dating process for pottery based on commonly occurring fatty acid components of lipid residues from food processing that can remain in the walls of vessels.
Objective
Pottery typology is the principal method used to date archaeological sites, however, the approach provides relative rather
than absolute dates. Paradoxically, 14C dating using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is the technique used to assign
absolute or calendrical dates, but pots, being fabricated from fired clay, i.e. aluminosilicate, lack endogenous organic
carbon and so cannot be 14C dated directly. Carbonaceous tempers, amorphous residues adhering to the surface and
carbon-based materials co-occurring in the same archaeological deposits as pots have all been 14C-dated but problems
exist with either the frequency of occurrence and/or uncertainties of their association(s) with pottery and contamination of
these remains. To enable the routine 14C dating of pottery the PI initiated development of a new approach that uses
commonly occurring fatty acid components of lipid residues derived from food processing, adsorbed within the protected
environment of the walls of vessels. As part of the NeoMilk ERC Advanced grant a new protocol been developed for the
extraction and isolation of these compounds using preparative capillary gas chromatography in high purity and sufficient
amounts for high precision 14C dating by AMS. This new approach offers a step-change in archaeological dating, which will
attract international demand to date archaeological sites. Our aim now is to bring this new method of pottery dating into
routine use in archaeology worldwide. This project will take the first steps towards achieving this ambition. This Proof of
Concept grant will allow us to (i) develop a commercialisation plan, (ii) demonstrate the utility of the approach temporally
and spatially, (iii) analyse the global market, (iv) formulate and deliver an IPR strategy, and (v) promote the method to
academic and commercial networks.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
ERC-POC - Proof of Concept Grant
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2018-PoC
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
BS8 1QU BRISTOL
United Kingdom
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