Abstract
Mezmaiskaya Cave has yielded more than 10,000 artifacts, thousands of very well preserved faunal remains, and hominin remains, found in seven Middle Paleolithic (Mousterian) and three Upper Paleolithic levels. A complete Neanderthal infant skeleton was preserved in anatomical juxtaposition lying on a large limestone block, overlain by the earliest Mousterian layer, Layer 3. Twenty-four skull fragments from a 1-2 year-old Neanderthal infant, showing post-mortem deformation, occurred in a pit originating in the Mousterian Layer 2 and penetrating into underlying layers 2A and 2B(1). Bone from Layer 2A was dated by AMS {sup 14}C at 35.8-36.3{+-}0.5 kyr BP. Direct dating of Neanderthal bone from Layer 3 gave an age of 29 kyr, but that is now considered to be due to contamination by modern carbon. Fourteen large mammal teeth from Layers 2 through 3 have been dated by standard electron spin resonance (ESR). Low U concentrations in both the enamel and dentine ensure that ESR ages do not depend significantly on the U uptake model, but do depend strongly on the sedimentary dose rates. Assuming a sedimentary water concentration equal to 20 wt%, ESR ages for the Mousterian layers range from 36.2 to 73.0{+-}5.0 ka.
Skinner, A R;
[1]
Blackwell, B A.B.;
[1]
Martin, Sara;
[1]
Ortega, A;
[2]
Blickstein, J I.B.;
[2]
Golovanova, L V;
[3]
Doronichev, V B
[3]
- Department of Chemistry, Williams College, Williamstown, MA, 01267 (United States)
- RFK Science Research Institute, Flushing, NY, 11366 (United States)
- Laboratory of Prehistory, St. Petersburg (Russian Federation)
Citation Formats
Skinner, A R, Blackwell, B A.B., Martin, Sara, Ortega, A, Blickstein, J I.B., Golovanova, L V, and Doronichev, V B.
ESR dating at Mezmaiskaya Cave, Russia.
United Kingdom: N. p.,
2005.
Web.
doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2004.08.008.
Skinner, A R, Blackwell, B A.B., Martin, Sara, Ortega, A, Blickstein, J I.B., Golovanova, L V, & Doronichev, V B.
ESR dating at Mezmaiskaya Cave, Russia.
United Kingdom.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apradiso.2004.08.008
Skinner, A R, Blackwell, B A.B., Martin, Sara, Ortega, A, Blickstein, J I.B., Golovanova, L V, and Doronichev, V B.
2005.
"ESR dating at Mezmaiskaya Cave, Russia."
United Kingdom.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apradiso.2004.08.008.
@misc{etde_20620161,
title = {ESR dating at Mezmaiskaya Cave, Russia}
author = {Skinner, A R, Blackwell, B A.B., Martin, Sara, Ortega, A, Blickstein, J I.B., Golovanova, L V, and Doronichev, V B}
abstractNote = {Mezmaiskaya Cave has yielded more than 10,000 artifacts, thousands of very well preserved faunal remains, and hominin remains, found in seven Middle Paleolithic (Mousterian) and three Upper Paleolithic levels. A complete Neanderthal infant skeleton was preserved in anatomical juxtaposition lying on a large limestone block, overlain by the earliest Mousterian layer, Layer 3. Twenty-four skull fragments from a 1-2 year-old Neanderthal infant, showing post-mortem deformation, occurred in a pit originating in the Mousterian Layer 2 and penetrating into underlying layers 2A and 2B(1). Bone from Layer 2A was dated by AMS {sup 14}C at 35.8-36.3{+-}0.5 kyr BP. Direct dating of Neanderthal bone from Layer 3 gave an age of 29 kyr, but that is now considered to be due to contamination by modern carbon. Fourteen large mammal teeth from Layers 2 through 3 have been dated by standard electron spin resonance (ESR). Low U concentrations in both the enamel and dentine ensure that ESR ages do not depend significantly on the U uptake model, but do depend strongly on the sedimentary dose rates. Assuming a sedimentary water concentration equal to 20 wt%, ESR ages for the Mousterian layers range from 36.2 to 73.0{+-}5.0 ka.}
doi = {10.1016/j.apradiso.2004.08.008}
journal = []
issue = {2}
volume = {62}
journal type = {AC}
place = {United Kingdom}
year = {2005}
month = {Feb}
}
title = {ESR dating at Mezmaiskaya Cave, Russia}
author = {Skinner, A R, Blackwell, B A.B., Martin, Sara, Ortega, A, Blickstein, J I.B., Golovanova, L V, and Doronichev, V B}
abstractNote = {Mezmaiskaya Cave has yielded more than 10,000 artifacts, thousands of very well preserved faunal remains, and hominin remains, found in seven Middle Paleolithic (Mousterian) and three Upper Paleolithic levels. A complete Neanderthal infant skeleton was preserved in anatomical juxtaposition lying on a large limestone block, overlain by the earliest Mousterian layer, Layer 3. Twenty-four skull fragments from a 1-2 year-old Neanderthal infant, showing post-mortem deformation, occurred in a pit originating in the Mousterian Layer 2 and penetrating into underlying layers 2A and 2B(1). Bone from Layer 2A was dated by AMS {sup 14}C at 35.8-36.3{+-}0.5 kyr BP. Direct dating of Neanderthal bone from Layer 3 gave an age of 29 kyr, but that is now considered to be due to contamination by modern carbon. Fourteen large mammal teeth from Layers 2 through 3 have been dated by standard electron spin resonance (ESR). Low U concentrations in both the enamel and dentine ensure that ESR ages do not depend significantly on the U uptake model, but do depend strongly on the sedimentary dose rates. Assuming a sedimentary water concentration equal to 20 wt%, ESR ages for the Mousterian layers range from 36.2 to 73.0{+-}5.0 ka.}
doi = {10.1016/j.apradiso.2004.08.008}
journal = []
issue = {2}
volume = {62}
journal type = {AC}
place = {United Kingdom}
year = {2005}
month = {Feb}
}