SNN115384 - Radiocarbon dating report to Cellmark Forensic Services on a Human Mandible

When radiocarbon dating human skeletal remains, we are determining whether the person was alive during the nuclear era or prior to this period. We do this by measuring the amount of radiocarbon (14C) in the sample. This is termed the fraction modern (F14C) value. Values of 1 or greater would be indicative of the inclusion of 14C from atmospheric nuclear weapons testing and would therefore be indicative of someone who was alive after 1955. The measured fraction modern (F14C) value for Exhibit Reference IJB3 (0.7647 ± 0.0023) is significantly below the critical value of 1 and indicates that this person did not die within the nuclear era. Calibration of the F14C value produced three closely linked age ranges with an overall range of 360-50 BC (95.4% probability). Therefore, in archaeological terms, the remains are Iron Age in origin.