Holocene chronologies from mollusk shells at archeological sites on the southern Arabian Peninsula

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Matthias Hinderer
• Subject Area: Palaeontology ; Prehistory and World Archaeology
• Term: from 2016 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 288227976

The absolute archeological chronologies of the southern Arabian Peininsula are based on radiocarbon dating of widespread available mollusc shells, because collagen and charcoal are rarely conserved. The radiocarbon ages of the frequently used mollusc species Anadara (bivalve) and Terebralia (gastropod), however, are affected by the reservoir effect which leads to overestimated ages up to several hundreds of years. The proposal aims to quantifying the reservoir effect of the two species at the western coast (Persian Gulf) and the eastern coast (Arabian Sea) of the United Arabian Emirates with the help of available material from archeological sites and recent collection from modern mangroves. Furthermore, to identify ecological and climatic control on the reservoir effect, we plan to analyse stable isotope signature of 13C und 18O. The proposal is part of a PhD program. Here we request only for funding of the analytical work.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Cooperation Partner: Professor Dr. Hans-Peter Uerpmann
• Co-Investigators: Dr. Bernd Kromer; Professor Dr. Frank Preusser