Radiocarbon Ecology of the Land Snail Helix Melanostoma in Northeastern Libya. Issue 5 (15th June 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hill, E A; Reimer, P J; Hunt, C O; Prendergast, A L; Barker, G W
• Editors: Cook, Gordon; Hamilton, Derek
• Is Part Of: Radiocarbon. Volume 59:Issue 5(2017)
• Page Start: 1521
• Page End: 1542
• Publication Date: 2017-06-15
• Subjects: land snails, -- terrestrial mollusks, -- radiocarbon, -- ecology, -- North Africa, -- dating, -- isotopes; Radiocarbon dating -- Periodicals; 930.1028505
• DOI: 10.1017/RDC.2017.49
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0033-8222

Abstract

Abstract: Terrestrial gastropods are problematical for radiocarbon ( 14 C) measurement because they tend to incorporate carbon from ancient sources as a result of their dietary behavior. The 14 C ecology of the pulmonate land snail, Helix melanostoma in Cyrenaica, northeastern Libya, was investigated as part of a wider study on the potential of using terrestrial mollusk shell for 14 C dating of archaeological deposits. H. melanostoma was selected out of the species available in the region as it has the most predictable 14 C ecology and also had a ubiquitous presence within the local archaeology. The ecological observations indicate that H. melanostoma has a very homogenous 14 C ecology with consistent variations in F 14 C across sample sites controlled by availability of dietary vegetation. The majority of dated specimens from non-urbanized sample locations have only a small old-carbon effect, weighted mean of 476±48 14 C yr, with between ~1% and 9% of dietary F 14 C from non-organic carbonate sources. Observed instabilities in the 14 C ecology can all be attributed to the results of intense human activity not present before the Roman Period. Therefore, H. melanostoma and species with similar ecological behavior are suitable for 14 C dating of archaeological and geological deposits with the use of a suitable offset.