First absolute chronologies of neolithic and bronze age settlements at Lake Ohrid based on dendrochronology and radiocarbon dating

Specialized and systematic underwater fieldwork at the prehistoric site of Ploča Mičov Grad at Gradište (North Macedonia) on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid was undertaken in 2018 and 2019. It has substantiated the archeological site’s outstanding preservation condition, and furthermore proven the n...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hafner, A, Reich, J, Ballmer, A, Bolliger, M, Antolín, F, Charles, M, Emmenegger, L, Fandré, J, Francuz, J, Gobet, E, Hostettler, M, Lotter, AF, Maczkowski, A, Morales-Molino, C, Naumov, G, Stäheli, C, Szidat, S, Taneski, B, Todoroska, V, Bogaard, A, Kotsakis, K, Tinner, W
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2021
_version_ 1797084123332870144
author Hafner, A
Reich, J
Ballmer, A
Bolliger, M
Antolín, F
Charles, M
Emmenegger, L
Fandré, J
Francuz, J
Gobet, E
Hostettler, M
Lotter, AF
Maczkowski, A
Morales-Molino, C
Naumov, G
Stäheli, C
Szidat, S
Taneski, B
Todoroska, V
Bogaard, A
Kotsakis, K
Tinner, W
author_facet Hafner, A
Reich, J
Ballmer, A
Bolliger, M
Antolín, F
Charles, M
Emmenegger, L
Fandré, J
Francuz, J
Gobet, E
Hostettler, M
Lotter, AF
Maczkowski, A
Morales-Molino, C
Naumov, G
Stäheli, C
Szidat, S
Taneski, B
Todoroska, V
Bogaard, A
Kotsakis, K
Tinner, W
author_sort Hafner, A
collection OXFORD
description Specialized and systematic underwater fieldwork at the prehistoric site of Ploča Mičov Grad at Gradište (North Macedonia) on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid was undertaken in 2018 and 2019. It has substantiated the archeological site’s outstanding preservation condition, and furthermore proven the numerous construction timbers’ suitability for dendrochronological analysis. Dendrochronological analysis on archaeological timbers was applied, combined with radiocarbon dating. Bayesian radiocarbon modeling allowed to ‘wiggle match’ the dendrochronological mean curves, i.e. allowed the precise chronological anchoring of ‘floating’ tree-ring sequences. Furthermore, radiocarbon dates of plant remains from the site’s main archaeological layer are statistically evaluated. Based on the new findings, the strikingly high density of wooden piles at the site can be attributed to several construction phases of Neolithic (middle of 5th millennium BC) and Bronze Age (2nd millennium BC: 1800, 1400 and 1300 BCE) settlements. Intense settlement activity is furthermore evidenced by a cultural layer of mainly organic material under the lakebed up to 1.7 m in thickness, which accumulated during the Neolithic occupation of the bay in the middle of the 5th millennium BC. The presented research enables precise absolute dating of a series of settlement phases at Ploča Mičov Grad from the Neolithic and the Bronze Age, and hence provides important reference points for an absolute chronological framework for the prehistory of the southwestern Balkans. The investigations underline the potential of future research on waterlogged prehistoric settlements in the region.
first_indexed 2024-03-07T01:51:01Z
format Journal article
id oxford-uuid:9a162469-adc7-45b7-b9ee-fcf8420b869e
institution University of Oxford
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-07T01:51:01Z
publishDate 2021
publisher Elsevier
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:9a162469-adc7-45b7-b9ee-fcf8420b869e2022-03-27T00:19:04ZFirst absolute chronologies of neolithic and bronze age settlements at Lake Ohrid based on dendrochronology and radiocarbon datingJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:9a162469-adc7-45b7-b9ee-fcf8420b869eEnglishSymplectic ElementsElsevier2021Hafner, AReich, JBallmer, ABolliger, MAntolín, FCharles, MEmmenegger, LFandré, JFrancuz, JGobet, EHostettler, MLotter, AFMaczkowski, AMorales-Molino, CNaumov, GStäheli, CSzidat, STaneski, BTodoroska, VBogaard, AKotsakis, KTinner, WSpecialized and systematic underwater fieldwork at the prehistoric site of Ploča Mičov Grad at Gradište (North Macedonia) on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid was undertaken in 2018 and 2019. It has substantiated the archeological site’s outstanding preservation condition, and furthermore proven the numerous construction timbers’ suitability for dendrochronological analysis. Dendrochronological analysis on archaeological timbers was applied, combined with radiocarbon dating. Bayesian radiocarbon modeling allowed to ‘wiggle match’ the dendrochronological mean curves, i.e. allowed the precise chronological anchoring of ‘floating’ tree-ring sequences. Furthermore, radiocarbon dates of plant remains from the site’s main archaeological layer are statistically evaluated. Based on the new findings, the strikingly high density of wooden piles at the site can be attributed to several construction phases of Neolithic (middle of 5th millennium BC) and Bronze Age (2nd millennium BC: 1800, 1400 and 1300 BCE) settlements. Intense settlement activity is furthermore evidenced by a cultural layer of mainly organic material under the lakebed up to 1.7 m in thickness, which accumulated during the Neolithic occupation of the bay in the middle of the 5th millennium BC. The presented research enables precise absolute dating of a series of settlement phases at Ploča Mičov Grad from the Neolithic and the Bronze Age, and hence provides important reference points for an absolute chronological framework for the prehistory of the southwestern Balkans. The investigations underline the potential of future research on waterlogged prehistoric settlements in the region.
spellingShingle Hafner, A
Reich, J
Ballmer, A
Bolliger, M
Antolín, F
Charles, M
Emmenegger, L
Fandré, J
Francuz, J
Gobet, E
Hostettler, M
Lotter, AF
Maczkowski, A
Morales-Molino, C
Naumov, G
Stäheli, C
Szidat, S
Taneski, B
Todoroska, V
Bogaard, A
Kotsakis, K
Tinner, W
First absolute chronologies of neolithic and bronze age settlements at Lake Ohrid based on dendrochronology and radiocarbon dating
title First absolute chronologies of neolithic and bronze age settlements at Lake Ohrid based on dendrochronology and radiocarbon dating
title_full First absolute chronologies of neolithic and bronze age settlements at Lake Ohrid based on dendrochronology and radiocarbon dating
title_fullStr First absolute chronologies of neolithic and bronze age settlements at Lake Ohrid based on dendrochronology and radiocarbon dating
title_full_unstemmed First absolute chronologies of neolithic and bronze age settlements at Lake Ohrid based on dendrochronology and radiocarbon dating
title_short First absolute chronologies of neolithic and bronze age settlements at Lake Ohrid based on dendrochronology and radiocarbon dating
title_sort first absolute chronologies of neolithic and bronze age settlements at lake ohrid based on dendrochronology and radiocarbon dating
work_keys_str_mv AT hafnera firstabsolutechronologiesofneolithicandbronzeagesettlementsatlakeohridbasedondendrochronologyandradiocarbondating
AT reichj firstabsolutechronologiesofneolithicandbronzeagesettlementsatlakeohridbasedondendrochronologyandradiocarbondating
AT ballmera firstabsolutechronologiesofneolithicandbronzeagesettlementsatlakeohridbasedondendrochronologyandradiocarbondating
AT bolligerm firstabsolutechronologiesofneolithicandbronzeagesettlementsatlakeohridbasedondendrochronologyandradiocarbondating
AT antolinf firstabsolutechronologiesofneolithicandbronzeagesettlementsatlakeohridbasedondendrochronologyandradiocarbondating
AT charlesm firstabsolutechronologiesofneolithicandbronzeagesettlementsatlakeohridbasedondendrochronologyandradiocarbondating
AT emmeneggerl firstabsolutechronologiesofneolithicandbronzeagesettlementsatlakeohridbasedondendrochronologyandradiocarbondating
AT fandrej firstabsolutechronologiesofneolithicandbronzeagesettlementsatlakeohridbasedondendrochronologyandradiocarbondating
AT francuzj firstabsolutechronologiesofneolithicandbronzeagesettlementsatlakeohridbasedondendrochronologyandradiocarbondating
AT gobete firstabsolutechronologiesofneolithicandbronzeagesettlementsatlakeohridbasedondendrochronologyandradiocarbondating
AT hostettlerm firstabsolutechronologiesofneolithicandbronzeagesettlementsatlakeohridbasedondendrochronologyandradiocarbondating
AT lotteraf firstabsolutechronologiesofneolithicandbronzeagesettlementsatlakeohridbasedondendrochronologyandradiocarbondating
AT maczkowskia firstabsolutechronologiesofneolithicandbronzeagesettlementsatlakeohridbasedondendrochronologyandradiocarbondating
AT moralesmolinoc firstabsolutechronologiesofneolithicandbronzeagesettlementsatlakeohridbasedondendrochronologyandradiocarbondating
AT naumovg firstabsolutechronologiesofneolithicandbronzeagesettlementsatlakeohridbasedondendrochronologyandradiocarbondating
AT stahelic firstabsolutechronologiesofneolithicandbronzeagesettlementsatlakeohridbasedondendrochronologyandradiocarbondating
AT szidats firstabsolutechronologiesofneolithicandbronzeagesettlementsatlakeohridbasedondendrochronologyandradiocarbondating
AT taneskib firstabsolutechronologiesofneolithicandbronzeagesettlementsatlakeohridbasedondendrochronologyandradiocarbondating
AT todoroskav firstabsolutechronologiesofneolithicandbronzeagesettlementsatlakeohridbasedondendrochronologyandradiocarbondating
AT bogaarda firstabsolutechronologiesofneolithicandbronzeagesettlementsatlakeohridbasedondendrochronologyandradiocarbondating
AT kotsakisk firstabsolutechronologiesofneolithicandbronzeagesettlementsatlakeohridbasedondendrochronologyandradiocarbondating
AT tinnerw firstabsolutechronologiesofneolithicandbronzeagesettlementsatlakeohridbasedondendrochronologyandradiocarbondating