This course is aimed at researchers using radiocarbon and other techniques, including Quaternary geologists, palaeobiologists, archaeologists and marine geoscientists. The first two days of the course will cover key aspects of radiocarbon dating including sample selection, laboratory processes and Bayesian analyses of radiocarbon dates. Various aspects relating to the production and interpretation of radiocarbon dating will be taught by members of the NERC Radiocarbon Facility, based at both Oxford and East Kilbride. This course aims to become a core component of practical radiocarbon training in the UK.
The third day of the course will expand on this to look at the construction of Bayesian chronologies more generally, including those that rely primarily on other dating techniques. In this third day there will be a focus on using chronologies for environmental records. This day of the course will be suitable for those participating in the INTIMATE (Integrating ice core, marine and terrestrial records) initiative.
The programme has been formulated to introduce radiocarbon dating and other chronometric techniques to participants by exploring – through lectures, tours and tutorials – the key issues essential to the construction of reliable chronologies. This course has been developed by the NERC Radiocarbon Facility, which is NERC and AHRC funded and consists of the science-based archaeology node at Oxford (Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit: ORAU) and the environment node at East Kilbride (Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre: SUERC), and as part of the University of Oxford NERC Doctoral Training Partnership.
For those attending in person, bed and breakfast accommodation, sandwich lunches and dinners are available to book as optional extras and are provided by Oxford University Department for Continuing Education, Rewley House, 1 Wellington Square, Oxford, OX1 2JA. Rewley House is approximately 15 minutes walk from the course location.