DOI: 10.58132/xowboz
title: Absolute chronology of cremation burials from the hunter-gatherer Stone Age cemetery at Dudka in Masuria (NE-Poland)

description: Data set include results of AMS measurements - 14C Age (yrBP) of cremation burials at Dudka site along with calibrated age (cal. BC) and detailed osteological and archaeological data concerning bone samples taken to measurements as well as the grave or context from which it was found. All results of radiocarbon measurements were obtained thanks to NCN grant project: Absolute chronology of burials and loose human bones from the hunter-gatherer Stone Age sites Dudka and Szczepanki in Masuria (NE-Poland) (Grant no. 2020/39/B/HS3/02375). Tables include self-made osteological analyses of bone material, which were conducted for the Master and PhD thesis, and were elaborated and up-dated for the project purposes. The radiocarbon AMS measurements were made for all graves and deposits of cremated remains which contained the suitable bone material for AMS measurements, i.e. heavily burned white bones. In the case of graves or deposits where bones of different individuals were mixed together one bone was taken for analyses. Measurements were taken also for loose human bones from the cemetery area (trench VI) as well as from settlement zone (trench III) at Dudka site, if only the skeleton was burned in sufficient way.22 heavily burned human bones (each one from a different individual) were selected and submitted for measurements. Two bone samples could not be measured, because they did not contain sufficient apatite of good quality. AMS measurements were finally made for 20 samples. AMS measurements of cremated bones were made in the Centre for Isotope Research of the University of Groningen.According to the laboratory report following methods to obtain the reliable results were used: “Pretreatment and measurement description The applied pretreatment and measurement method of the bones and cremated bone samples is described in Dee et al., 2020 (“Radiocarbon Dating at Groningen: New and updated chemical pretreatment procedures. Radiocarbon, 62(1): 63-74”). Cremated bone was chemically pretreated with bleach and acetic acid to an apatite fraction and then pretreated to CO2. After the CO2 extraction, the CO2 is fired overnight in Sulfix at 220 °C, whereby sulfur compounds are removed from the CO2 (purification step). This Sulfix itself was first fired overnight with O2 at 220°C to remove any carbon pollution. The background material and a reference material included in the same series as the apatite samples undergo the same procedure as the apatite samples. The background material is measured 3 › 4 to correct for any added (non-fossil) contaminants in the lab process. The reported uncertainty in the measured values does not only include the spread in the instrument measurement itself, but also the variation in the measurement result that arises due to variations in the pretreatment and measurement of (sub) samples (of the same composition and comparable size).”Calibrated BC dates (95% confidence intervals) provided in the table are based on: OxCal v.4.4.4 (Bronk Ramsey 2021r), IntCal20 curve (Reimer et al. 2020).