Chronologies in wood and resin: AMS 14C dating of pre-Hispanic Caribbean wood sculpture

• Published in: Journal of archaeological science 2012-07, Vol.39 (7), p.2238-2251
• Main Authors: Ostapkowicz, Joanna, Bronk Ramsey, Christopher, Brock, Fiona, Higham, Tom, Wiedenhoeft, Alex C., Ribechini, Erika, Lucejko, Jeannette J., Wilson, Samuel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: America and Arctic regions; Caribbean; Dating; Excavation and methods; Laboratory methods; Lucayan; Methodology and general studies; Mexico and Central America; Other materials; Prehistory and protohistory; Radiocarbon dating; Resin; Taíno; Typology, technology and attribute analysis; Wood
• ISSN: 0305-4403; 1095-9238
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2012.01.035

This paper establishes a chronological framework for selected pieces of Caribbean (Taíno/Lucayan) wooden sculpture, enabling previously ahistoric artefacts to fit back into the wider corpus of pre-colonial material culture. Seventy-two 14C AMS determinations from 56 artefacts held in museum collections are reported, including 32 ceremonial duhos, or seats. Far from being constrained to the last few centuries prior to contact, the dates for these objects extend back to ca. AD 250, and include the artistic legacies of various cultures. Duhos in both low and high back styles are present from about AD 600, if not earlier, in a distribution that spans the Antillean island chain from Trinidad to Cuba. Complex, drug-related paraphernalia and elaborate ancestral reliquaries are in evidence by AD 1000, as are some distinctive regional styles – such as the unique iconography from the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos islands. This paper explores relevant methodological issues – from the challenges of working with museum pieces (e.g., uncertain provenance, discrete sampling techniques, impact of previous conservation treatments on dating results), to dealing with potential ‘in-built’ age in tropical hardwoods. ► 72 AMS 14C determinations from 56 Caribbean wood sculptures in museum collections are reported. ► Results range from AD 250 to post-1650, reflecting the artistic legacies of various Caribbean cultures. ► Ceremonial seats (duhos) are in evidence in the Greater Antilles by AD 600 and complex drug-related paraphernalia by AD 1000. ► Some objects suggest long-term curation. ► The methodological issues of dating museum pieces are explored.