Sample: EVANS78, context 4028, submitted by J Evans in 1978
Material: human bone, left femur
Initial comment: from an inhumation cut into the secondary fills of the Ditch (C61.1).
Laboratory comment (J Ambers:) this sample was measured six months to a year before the period in which we recognise an error in our measurements (Bowman et al 1990), during the time when the samples for the Harwell intercomparison (Otlet et al 1980) were measured. In this intercomparison the laboratory produced results in agreement with the other British laboratories. The error term of the result was calculated on the basis of the (two) modern standards and the (two) background standards used, combined with the counting statistics of the samples themselves.
OxA-4886 3960+/-60BP (-21.2 per mil)
Sample: EVANS78, context 4028, submitted by M Allen on 16 May 1994
Material: human bone, right femur (M Allen)
Initial comment: from an inhumation cut into the secondary fills of the Ditch (C61.1).
Objectives: this burial constrains the end of phase 2, so a more precise estimate of its date is desirable.
Archaeological comment (M Allen): this date is earlier than BM-1582 and is also surprisingly early for a British Beaker context.
Quality assurance measurements are available for OxA-4886.
OxA-5044 3785+/-70BP (-20.7 per mil)
Sample: EVANS78, context 4028, submitted by M Allen on 14 September 1994
Material: human bone, right femur (M Allen)
Initial comment: from an inhumation cut into the secondary fills of the Ditch (C61.1).
Objectives: this burial constrains the end of phase 2, so a more precise estimate of its date is desirable.
Quality assurance measurements are available for OxA-5044.
OxA-5045 3825+/-60BP (-20.6 per mil)
Sample: EVANS78, context 4028, submitted by M Allen on 14 September 1994
Material: human bone, right femur (M Allen)
Initial comment: from an inhumation cut into the secondary fills of the Ditch (C61.1).
Objectives: this burial constrains the end of phase 2, so a more precise estimate of its date is desirable.
OxA-5046 3775+/-55BP (-20.6 per mil)
Sample: EVANS78, context 4028, submitted by M Allen on 16 May 1994
Material: human bone, right femur (M Allen)
Initial comment: from an inhumation cut into the secondary fills of the Ditch (C61.1).
Objectives: this burial constrains the end of phase 2, so a more precise estimate of its date is desirable.
Quality assurance measurements are available for OxA-5045 and OxA-5046, in addition to details of the chemistry and measurement techniques used to process all the samples at the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit.
AML comment: these five results are not statistically significantly different at 95% confidence (Ward and Wilson 1978) and come from the same individual, so a weighted mean may be taken before calibration. This is 3817+/-27BP.
Calibrated date range: 2460-2140 cal BC (95% confidence)
Archaeological comment (M Allen): this is an acceptable date for a British Beaker-age burial (Kinnes et al 1991) and demonstrates that this inhumation was an event within phase 3.
Burial in the Ditch