Prehistoric charcoal drawings in the caves in the Slovak Republic, Central Europe: Successful radiocarbon dating by a micro-sample 14C AMS. (20th January 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Šefčáková, Alena; Levchenko, Vladimir A.
• Is Part Of: Quaternary international. Volume 572(2021)
• Page Start: 120
• Page End: 130
• Publication Date: 2021-01-20
• Subjects: Rock art -- Extremely small samples -- Mesolithic -- Neolithic -- Eneolithic -- Bronze age; Geology, Stratigraphic -- Quaternary -- Periodicals; Stratigraphie -- Quaternaire -- Périodiques; 551.79
• DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2020.09.019
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1040-6182

Abstract

Abstract: In Central Europe, only a few caves with ancient drawings on the walls are known. During the past years, simple lines and sketches made of charcoal or smearing traces from torches are found mainly in less accessible locations in some caves of the Slovak Karst. Previous attempts to date these findings were unsuccessful since the painted layers were too thin to allow sampling and enable routine AMS dating. Now the application of the small mass radiocarbon accelerator mass-spectrometry (AMS) technique developed at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) made possible successful 14 C determinations for a set of cave drawings and markings from the Slovak Karst. This research confirmed the prehistoric/protohistoric nature of the drawings/sketches in Čikova Diera, Silická Ľadnica, Ardovská and Domica Caves. Moreover, this research widens the scope for prehistoric rock art dating, one of the major constrains in rock art studies.