Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

230Th/234U dating of travertine from the Bilzingsleben archaeological site

Nature volume 284, pages 132–135 (1980)Cite this article

Abstract

230Th/234U dating of travertine from Bilzingsleben, places an absolute age of 228,000+17,000−12,000 yr BP on the hominid remains and artefacts at this important archaeological site. Associated floral and faunal fossil assemblages are of interglacial character indicating a depositional climate slightly warmer than at present. These two facts permit correlation of the Bilzingsleben deposits wit ‘Stage 7’ of the marine oxygen isotope record and the penultimate interglacial observed in the European and North American speleothem records.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Turekian, K. K. & Nelson, E. in Proc. 9th Cay. Union. Sci. Prehist. Protohist. 172 (1976).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Schwarcz, H. P. & Debénath, A. Hum. Paleont. (in the press).

  3. Cepek, A. G. Ber. dt. Ges. Geol. Wiss. 12, 375–404 (1967).

    Google Scholar 

  4. von Schlotheim, E. F. Leonhards Min. Taschenb. 12, 315–345 (1818).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Mania, D. Ethnogr. Archäol Z. 18, 5–24 (1977).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Harmon, R. S., Thompson, P., Schwarcz, H. P. & Ford. D. C. Bull. natn. speleol. Soc. Am. 37, 21–33 (1975).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Thompson, P., Ford, D. C. & Schwarcz, H. P. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 39, 661–669 (1975).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Schwarcz, H. P. Archaeometry (in the press).

  9. Thompson, P. Dept. of Geology. Tech. Memo. 73–79 (McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario 1973).

  10. Gascoyne, M., Schwarcz, H. P. & Ford, D. C. Trans. Br. Cave. Res. Ass. 5, 91 (1978).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Wiegers, F. Z. Ethnol. 54, 29–39, (1922).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Vent, W. Wiss, Z. Friedrich Schiller-Univ. Jena, 4, 467–485 (1955).

    Google Scholar 

  13. Woldstedt, P., Eiszeitalter Vol. 2, (F. Enke, Stuttgart, 1958).

  14. Wüst, E. Z. Naturw. 75, 237–239 (1903).

    Google Scholar 

  15. Wiegers, F. Praehist. Z. 30/31, 331–336 (1940).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Shackleton, N. J. & Opdyke, N. Geol. Soc. Am. Mem. 145, 449–464 (1976).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Harmon, R. S., Ford, D. C. & Schwarcz, H. P. Can. J. Earth Sci. 14, 2543–2552 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Atkinson, T. C., Harmon, R. S., Smart, P. L. & Waltham, A. C. Nature 272, 24–28 (1978).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Harmon, R. S. Proc. Symp. Quaternary Climate Change (ed. Mahaney, W. C.) (in the press).

  20. Lindner, L. & Prószyński, M. Acta geol. Polon. 29, 121–132, (1979).

    Google Scholar 

  21. Zubakov, V. A. & Kochegura, V. V. in Khronologiya Pleystotsena i Klimatischeskaya Stratigrafiya (ed. Zubakov, V. A.) 39–73 (Geogr. Obshch, SSR, 1973).

    Google Scholar 

  22. Zubakov, V. A. in Chteniya Pamyati L'va Semenovicha Berga. (ed. Kalesnik, S. V.) 7–38 (Nauka, Leningrad, 1978).

    Google Scholar 

  23. Mania, D. Z. Archäol. 8, 157–173 (1974).

    Google Scholar 

  24. Vlček, E. & Mania, D. Anthropology 15, 159–169 (1977).

    Google Scholar 

  25. Cepek, A. G. Second Bilzingsleben Colloq. Halle (1977).

  26. Toepfer, V. Ausgrab. Funde. 5, 7–11, (1960); Geogr. Mitt. Hessen 274, 329–422 (1974).

    Google Scholar 

  27. Kukla, G. Trans. Neb. Acad. Sci. 11, 57–93 (1978).

    Google Scholar 

  28. Mania, D., Grimm, H. & Vlček, E. Z. Archäol. 10, 241–249 (1976).

  29. Stringer, C. B., Howell, F. C. & Melentis, J. K. J. archaeol. Sci. 6, 235–253 (1979).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Vlček, E. J. Human Evolut. 15, 239–251 (1978).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Cherdynstev, V., Senina, N. & Kuzmina, E. Abh. Z. Geol. Inst. Paldont. Abh. 23, 7–14 (1975).

    Google Scholar 

  32. Collins, D. M. Archäol. Ethnogr. Z. 18, 63–71 (1977).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Isotope Geology Unit, Scottish Universities Research and Reactor Centre, East Kilbride, Glasgow, G75 0QU, UK

    Russell S. Harmon

  2. Institute of Geology, Warsaw University, Warsaw, Poland

    Jerzy Głazek

  3. Institute of Archaeology, Warsaw University, Warsaw, Poland

    Krystian Nowak

Authors
  1. Russell S. Harmon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jerzy Głazek
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Krystian Nowak
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Harmon, R., Głazek, J. & Nowak, K. 230Th/234U dating of travertine from the Bilzingsleben archaeological site. Nature 284, 132–135 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1038/284132a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/284132a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing