Luminescence Dating

The Luminescence Dating Laboratory at the Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, has been actively involved in the development and application of luminescence dating for more than 35 years. The Laboratory offers a service for luminescence dating of archaeological, environmental and Quaternary geological contexts. This includes optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of sediments and thermoluminescence (TL) dating of ceramic (pottery, brick, tile), burnt flint/stone and sediment.

Applications of Luminescence Dating

Luminescence dating is particularly appropriate when radiocarbon dating is not possible (either where no suitable material is available or for ages beyond the radiocarbon age limit); for applications affected by radiocarbon plateau effects (e.g. post 1700 AD, early Iron Age contexts, late glacial timescales); when the relationship between the organic materials and the archaeological context is uncertain. The particular advantage of luminescence dating is that the method provides a date for the archaeological artefact or deposit itself, rather than for organic material in assumed association. In the case of OSL sediment dating, suitable material (sand or silt-sized grains of quartz and feldspar)is usually available ubiquitously throughout the site.

Recent projects include dating of pottery from Sicily, Siberia and Tobago, brick from a medieval cathedral in Italy, Iron Age furnaces in Swaziland, archaeometalurgical slag from Wales, Spain and Greece. Sediments have been dated from palaeolithic sites in SE England, Gibraltar, and from younger archaeological sites in E. London, Kent and Bath. Developmental research at a number of Iron age sites including Old Scatness Broch, Shetland, Alfred’s Castle, Oxfordshire and a hill fort in Berkshire has provided very exciting high precision OSL age estimates of midden deposits and ditch-fill sedimentation. Environmental and geological applications have included the dating of glacial sediments from Ireland, the Himalayas and Antarctica, two separate projects dating fault movement in Korea, and wider-scale landscape evolution studies in the Gulf Coast/Mississippi region of the USA and in Guyana, S. America.

Age range and precision

The age range for pottery and other ceramics covers the entire period in which these materials have been produced. The typical range for burnt flint, stone or sediment (burnt or unburnt) is from about 10 to 300,000 years. The error limits on the dates obtained are typically in the range ±3 to ±8%, although recent technical developments now allow luminescence measurements to be made with a precision of ±1 to ±2% in favourable circumstances.

Commercial dating

The prices for luminescence dates depend on the nature and number of samples. Discounts are available for pilot projects, large batches or certain sample types. Projects central to the Laboratory's research interests may be carried out at a reduced charge. The typical turn-round time for providing a date is 2-4 months, although very rapid dating (2 to 4 days) can be undertaken in special circumstances.