SNN117162 - Medieval Settlement Chronologies: Reflections on an Extensive Radiocarbon Dating Programme

THE FEEDING ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND (FEEDSAX) PROJECT applied scientific methods to bioarchaeological remains, in order to shed new light on medieval English agriculture. The methodology included an extensive radiocarbon dating programme which, besides helping to date developments in farming at selected case study sites, proved informative in its own right. This paper discusses the key implications of this programme’s results, with regard to the general problems of dating medieval settlement phases. First, it has allowed us to devise a new ‘universal’ chronological schema which aligns conventional phases with the precision currently attainable from calibrated radiocarbon dates. Second, it has revealed frequent discrepancies between the radiocarbon dates of organic remains and their original phasing—usually based upon associated ceramics—often resulting in chronological refinements or revisions, and sometimes revealing hitherto unrecognised periods of activity. In particular, the results highlight that ceramic-based phasing often underestimates the age of organic remains.