Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Synchronization of Civilizations in the Eastern Mediterranean in the Second Millennium BC: Natural Science Dating Attempts

  • Chapter
Tools for Constructing Chronologies

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Statistics ((LNS,volume 177))

Summary

This chapter reports on work undertaken during the first three years of a ten-year project which aims to synchronize a range of relative and absolute dating evidence arising from archaeological records of the civilizations of the Eastern Mediterranean in the second millennium BC. At present the team is collecting chronological information from many different geographical locations. Some of the chronological methods are covered in more detail elsewhere in this volume (e.g. tephrochronology, Chapter 8 and radiocarbon dating with Bayesian models, Chapters 1and 2) and other methods such as dendrochronology and astrochronology are explained in detail here. It is already clear that the different dating methods do not lead directly to a coherent chronological picture for the region. Consequently, one of the major issues that must be tackled by this project is the synchronization of chronological evidence from different sources. This chapter outlines the nature of the evidence available and explains some of the techniques that the project team plans to use to link together the diverse dating evidence and thus develop their final chronological understanding.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 44.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 59.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Beckerath, J. v. (1997). Chronologie des pharaonischen Agyptens. Verlag Philipp von Zabern, Mainz.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bichler, M., Egger, H., Preisinger, A., Ritter, D. and Stastny, P. (1997). NAA of the ’Minoan pumice’ at Thera and comparison to alluvial pumice deposits in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 224, 7–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bichler, M., Peltz, C., Saminger, S. and Exler, M. (2002). Aegean tephraan analytical approach to a controversy about chronology. Egypt and the Levant, XII, 55–70.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bietak, M. (1976). Stratigraphische Probleme bei Tellgrabungen im Vorderen Orient. Fs Pittioni. Archaeologia Austriaca, 14,471–493.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bietak, M. (1985). Stratigraphie und Seriation. Arbeiten zur Erschliesung der relativen Chronologie in Agypten. In Lebendige Altertumswissenschaften: Festschrift Hermann Vetters, A. Holzhausen, Vienna, 5–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bietak, M. (ed.) (2000). The synchronisation of civil isations in the Eastern Mediterranean in the second millennium BC. Contributions to the chronology of the Eastern Mediterranean, vol. 1. Denkschriften der Gesamtakademie, Bd. 19. Australian Academy of Sciences Press, Vienna.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bikai, P. M. (1991). The cedar of Lebanon: archaeological and dendrochronological persp ectives. Ph.D. thesis, University of Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bronk Ramsey, C. (1995). Radiocarbon calibration and analysis of stratigraphy: the OxCal program. Radiocarbon, 37,425–430.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bronk Ramsey, C. (1998). Probability and dating. Radiocarbon, 40,461–474.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bronk Ramsey, C. (2000). Comment on ’The use of Bayesian statistics for 14C dates of chronologically ordered samples: a critical analysis’. Radiocarbon, 42, 199–202.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bronk Ramsey, C. (2001). Development of the radiocarbon calibrat ion program OxCal. Radiocarbon, 43, 355–363.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bronk Ramsey, C., van der Plicht, J. and Weninger, B. (2001). ’Wiggle matching’ radiocarbon dates. Radiocarbon, 43,381–389.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buck, C. E., Kenworthy, J. B., Litton, C. D. and Smith, A. F. M. (1991). Combining archaeological and radiocarbon information: a Bayesian approach to calibration. Antiquity, 65, 808–821.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buck, C. E., Litton, C. D. and Scott, E. M. (1994). Making the most ofradiocarbon dating: some statistical considerat ions. Antiquity, 68, 252–263.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buck, C. E., Litton, C. D. and Smith, A. F. M. (1992). Calibration of radiocarbon results pertaining to related archaeological events. Journal of Archaeological Science, 19, 497–512.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chapront-Touze, M. and Chapront, J. (1991). Lunar tables and programs from 4000 BC to AD 8000. Willmann-Bell, Richmond.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christen, J. A., Clymo, R. S. and Litton, C. D. (1995). A Bayesian approach to the use of 14 C dates in the estimation of the age of peat. Radiocarbon, 37,431–442.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christen, J. A. and Litton, C. D. (1995). A Bayesian approach to wigglematching. Journal of Archaeological Science, 22, 719–725.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davies, W. V. (1995). Ancient Egyptian timber imports: an analysis of wooden coffins in the British Museum. In W. V. Davies and L. Schofield (eds.), Egypt, the Aegean and the Levant. Interconnections in the second millennium BC, British Museum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Druitt, T. H., Edwards, L., Mellors, R. M., Pyle, D. M., Sparks, R. S. J., Lanphere, M., Davies, M. and Barriero, B. (1999). Santorini Volcano. Memoirs of the Geological Society of London, 19. Geological Society, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eastwood, W. J., Pearce, N. J. G., Westgate, J. A., Perkins, W. T., Lamb, H. F. and Roberts, N. (1999). Geochemistry of Santorini tephra in lake sediments from Southwest Turkey. Global and Planetary Change, 21, 17–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Einarsson, T. (1986). Tephrochronology. In B. E. Berglund (ed.), Handbook of Holocene palaeoecology and palaeohydrology, John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, 392–342.

    Google Scholar 

  • Engle, J. B. (2000). A computer-assisted tree-ring chronology composition system. Master’s thesis, University of Arizona, Arizona, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Faure, P. (1971). Remarques sur la presence et l’emploi de la Pierre Ponceen Crete du Neolithique a nos jours. In X. Y. Marinatos and D. Ninkovich (eds.), Proceedings of the 1st intern ational scientific congress on the volcano of Thera, Athens. Archaeological Services of Greece, 422–427.

    Google Scholar 

  • Francaviglia, V. (1986). Provenance of pumices from the Kastelli excavat ions (Chania, West-Crete). In T. Hackens, Y. Liritzis, F. Dachy and G. Moucharte (eds.), Proceedings of the first South European symposium on archaeometry, Delphi, November 1984. PACT, Strasbourg, Journal of the European Study Group on Phy sical, Chemical and Mathematical Tech niques Applied to Archaeology, Conseil de l’Europe, 15, 67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Francaviglia, V. (1990). Sea-borne pumi ce deposit s of ar chaeological interest on Aegean and Eastern Medite rranean beaches. In D. A. Hardy and A. C. Renfrew (eds.), Thera and the Aegean world III: proceedings of the third international congress, Santor ini, Greece, 3–9 September 1989, Vol. 2: Earth sciences. Thera Foundation, London, 3–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Francaviglia, V. and DiSabatino, B. (1990). Statist ical st udy on Santorini pumice-falls. In D. A. Hardy and A. C. Renfrew (eds.), Thera and the Aegean world III: proceedings of the third international congress, Santorini, Greece, 3–9 September 1989, Vol. 2: Earth sciences. Thera Foundation, London, 3–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grosser, D. et al. (1992). Holz - ein wichtiger Werkstoff im Alten Agypten. In S. Schoske, B. Kreissl and R. Germer (eds.), “Anch” - Blumen tAijr das Leben. Schriften aus der iigyptischen Sammlung, Staatliche Sammlung agypt ischer Kunst, Miinchen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guichard, F., Car ey, S., Arthur, M. A., Sigurdsson, H. and Arnold, M. (1993). Tephra from the Minoan eru pt ion of Santorini in sediments of the Black Sea. Nature, 363, 610–612.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaennel, M. and Schweingruber, F. H. (1995). Multilingual glossary of dendrochronology: terms and definitions in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Russian. P. Haupt, Bern.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keller, J. (1980). Prehistoric pumice tephra on Aegean islands. In D. A. Hardy, C. G. Coumas, J. A. Sakellarakis and P. M. Warren (eds.), Thera and the Aegean world: papers presented at the second international scientific congress, Sa nto rini, Greece, August 1978, vol. II, Thera and the Aegean world. Thera Foundation, London, 49–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kitchen, K. A. (2000). Regnal and genealogical data of Ancient Egypt: the histor ical chronology of Ancient Egypt, a cur rent assessment. In M. Bietak (ed.), The synchronisat ion of civilisations in the eastern Mediterranean in108 Otto Cichocki et al. the second millennium BC. Australian Academy of Sciences Press, Vienna, 39–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuniholm, P. 1. (1996). The prehistoric Aegean: dendrochronological progress as of 1995. Acta Archaeologica, 61, 327–335.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lev-Yadun, S. (1992). The origin of the cedar beams from Al-Aqsa Mosque: botanical, historical and archaeologic al evidence. Levant, 24, 201–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Library, M. (1983). The Macquarie history of ideas. Macquarie University, Sydney.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liphschitz, N. (1986). Overview of the dendrochronological and dendroarcheological research in Israel. Dendrochronologia, 4, 37–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liphschitz, N. and Biger, G. (1992). Israel: historical timber trade in the Levant: the use of Cedrus libani in construction of buildings in Israel from ancient times to the early twentieth century. In T. S. Bartholin et al. (eds.), Tree rings and environment, Lund University, Department of Quaternary Geology, Lund, 202–206.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loret, V. (1916). Quelques notes sur l’arbre « ach ». Annales du service desantiquites de l’Egypte, 16, 33–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lucas, U. and Harris, J. R. (1962). Ancient Egyptian materials and industries. Edward Arnold, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maguire, L. (1992). A cautious approach to the Middle Bronze Age chronology of Cyprus..Agypten und die Levante, 3, 115–120.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maguire, L. (1995). Tell el Dab ’a: the Cypriote Connection. In W. V. Davies and L. Schonfield (eds.), Egypt, the Aegeanand the Levant, British Museum Press, London, 54–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Manning, S. W. (1999). A test of time: the volcano of Thera and the chronology and history of the Aegean and East Mediterranean in the mid second millennium. Oxbow Books, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marinatos, S. (1932). Die Ausgrabungen von Amnisos auf Kreta. Praktika tesen Athenais Archaiologikes Hetaireias, 1932, 76–95.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marketou, T. (1990). Santorini tephra from Rhodes and Kos: some chronological remarks based on the stratigraphy. In D. A. Hardy and A. C. Renfrew (eds.), Thera and the Aegeanworld III: proceedings of the third international congress, Santorini, Greece, 3–9 September 1989, Vol. 3: Chronology. Thera Foundation, London, 3–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meiggs, R. (1982). Trees and timber in the ancient Mediterranean world. Clarendon, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mikesell, M. (1969). The deforestation of Mount Lebanon. Geographical Review, 59, 1–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Newton, M. W. (1996). Dendrochronology at Catal Hoyuk: A 576-year treering chronology for the early Neol ithic of Anatolia. Master ’s thesis, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nibbi, A. (1981). Ancient Egypt and some eastern neighbours. Noyes Press, Park Ridge, New Jersey.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nibbi, A. (1987). Some remarks on the LEXIKON ENTRY: Zeder, Cedar. Discussions in Egyptology, 1, 13–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nibbi, A. (1994). Some remarks on the Cedar of Lebanon. Discussions inEgyptology, 28, 35–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nibbi, A. (1996). Cedar again. Discussions in Egyptology, 34, 37–59.

    Google Scholar 

  • North, J. (1994). The Fontana history of astronomy and cosmology. Fontana Press, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Neil, W. M. (1986). Early astronomy. University Press Sydney, Sydney.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paul, R. (1993). A handbook to the universe. Chicago Review Press, Chicago.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pear ce, N. J. G., Westgate, J. A., Perkins, W. T., Eastwood, W. J. and Shane, P. (1999). The application of laser ablation ICP-MS to the analysis of volcanic glass shards from tephra deposits: bulk glass and single shard analysis. Global and Planetary Change, 21, 151–171.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peltz, C., Schmid, P. and Bichler, M. (1999). INAA of Aegean pumices for the classification of archaeological findings. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 242,361–377.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pichler, H. and Schiering, W. (1980). Der spatbronzezeitliche Ausbruch des Thera-Vulkans und seine Auswirkungen auf Kreta. Archiiologis che Anzeiger, 1980, 1–37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pyle, D. M. (1990). New estimates for the volume of the Minoan eruption. In D. A. Hardy and A. C. Renfrew (eds.), Thera and the Aegean world III: proceedings of the third international congress, Santorini, Greece, 3–9 September 1989, Vol. 2: Earth scienc es. Thera Foundation, London, 3–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Richardson, D. and Ninkovich, D. (1976). Use of KzO, Rb, Zr and Y versus SiOz in volcanic ash layers of the eastern Mediterranean to trace their source. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 87, 110–116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Richmond, B. (1956). Time measurement and calendar construction. E. J. Brill, Leiden.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryholt, K. S. B. (1997). The political situation in Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period c. 1800–1550 BC. CNI Publications, 20. Carsten Niebuhr Institute of Near Eastern Studies, University of Copenhagen, Museum Tusculanum Pr ess, Copenhagen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saminger, S., Peltz, C. and Bichler, M. (2000). South Aegean volcanic glass-separation and analysis by INAA and EPMA. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemist ry, 245, 375–383.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schaefer, B. (1997). Heliacal risings: definitions, calculations and some specific cases. Arcluieoastronomu and Ethnoastronomy News, 25, 1 and 3.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmid, P., Peltz, C., Hammer, V. M. F., Halwax, E., Ntaflos, T., Nagl, P. and Bichler, M. (2000). Separation and analysis of Theran volcanic glass by INAA, XRF and EPMA. Mikrochimica Acta, 133, 143–149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sigurdsson, H., Carey, S. and Devine, D. (1990). Assessment of mass, dynamics and environmental effects of the Minoan eruption of Santorini Volc ano. In D. A. Hardy and A. C. Renfrew (eds.), Thera and the Aegean world III: proceedings of the third intern ational congress, Santorini, Greece, 3–9 September 1989, Vol. 2: Earth sciences. Thera Foundation, London, 3–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Soles, J. S. and Davaras, C. (1990). Theran ash in Minoan Crete: new excavations in Mochlos. In D. A. Hardy and A. C. Renfrew (eds.), Thera and the Aegean world III: proceedings of the third international congress, Santorini, Greece, 3–9 September 1989, Vol. 3: Chronology. Thera Foundation, London, 3–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sparks, R. and Wilson, C. (1990). The Minoan deposits: a review of their characteristics and interpretation. In D. A. Hardy and A. C. Renfrew (eds.), Thera and the Aegean world III: proceedings of the third international congress, Santorini, Greece, 3–9 September 1989, Vol. 3: Chronology. Thera Foundation, London, 3–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stanley, D. J. and Sheng, H. (1986). Volcanic shards from Santorini (Upper Minoan ash) in the Nile Delta, Egypt. Nature, 320, 733–735.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sullivan, D. G. (1988). The discovery of Santorini Minoan tephra in western Turkey. Nature, 333, 552–554.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vinci, A. (1985). Distribution and chemical composition of tephra layers from eastern Mediterranean abyssal sediments. Marine Geology, 64, 143–155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vitaliano, C. J., Fout, J. S. and Vitaliano, D. B. (1978). Petrochemical study of the tephra sequence exposed in the Phira Quarry, Thera. In D. A. Hardy, C. G. Coumas, J. A. Sakellarakis and P. M. Warren (eds.), Thera and the Aegean world: papers presented at the second International Congress, Santorini, Greece, August, 1978, Vol. I, Thera and the Aegean world. Thera Foundation, London, 203–215.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vitaliano, C. J., Taylor, S. R., Norman, M. D., McCulloch, M. T. and Nicholls, I. A. (1990). Ash layers of the Thera volcanic series: stratigraphy, petrology and geochemistry. In D. A. Hardy and A. C. Renfrew (eds.), Thera and the Aegean world III: proceedings of the third international congress, Santorini, Greece, 3–9 September 1989, Vol. 3: Chronology. Thera Foundation, London, 3–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wagenfiihr, R. and Schreiber, C. (1989). Holzatlas. VEB Fachbuchverlag, Lepizig.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warren, P. M. and Puchelt, H. (1990). Stratified pumice from Bronze Age Knossos. In D. A. Hardy and A. C. Renfrew (eds.), Thera and the Aegean world III: proceedings of the third international congress, Santorini, Greece, 3–9 September 1989, Vol. 3: Chronology. Thera Foundation, London, 3–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watkins, N. D., Sparks, R. S. J., Sigurdsson, H., Huang, T. C., Federman, A., Carey, S. and Ninkovich, D. (1978). Volume and extent of the Minoan tephra from Santorini Volcano: new evidence from deep-sea sediment cores. Nature, 271, 122–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wild, E., Golser, R., Hille, P., Kutschera, W., Priller, A., Puchegger, S., Rom, W., Steier, P. and Vycudilik,V. (1998). First 14C results from archaeological and forensic studies at the Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator. Radiocarbon, 40, 273–281.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zeist, V. V.,Woldring, H. and Stapert, D. (1975). Late Quaternary vegetation and climate of southwestern Turkey. Paleohistoria, 17, 53–143.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Otto Cichocki
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Max Bichler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Gertrude Firneis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Walter Kutschera
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Wolfgang Müller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Peter Stadler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Probability and Statistics, University of Sheffield, Hicks Building Hounsfield Road, S3 7RH, Sheffield, UK

    Caitlin E. Buck

  2. Department of Archaeology, University of Durham, South Road, DH1 3LE, Durham, UK

    Andrew R. Millard

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2004 Springer-Verlag London

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Cichocki, O., Bichler, M., Firneis, G., Kutschera, W., Müller, W., Stadler, P. (2004). The Synchronization of Civilizations in the Eastern Mediterranean in the Second Millennium BC: Natural Science Dating Attempts. In: Buck, C.E., Millard, A.R. (eds) Tools for Constructing Chronologies. Lecture Notes in Statistics, vol 177. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-0231-1_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-0231-1_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-85233-763-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-0231-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation