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Tree-ring Calibration of Radiocarbon Dates and the Chronology of Ancient Egypt

Abstract

The historical calendar of Ancient Egypt is the only independent chronology for testing the bristlecone pine calibration of the radiocarbon time scale from 3000 to 1800 BC. Here a statistical approach is used to compare the functions relating the Egyptian historical dates to the corresponding radiocarbon dates and the bristlecone pine tree-ring dates to the corresponding radiocarbon dates, and it is concluded that the calibrated radiocarbon dates for Egypt do not differ significantly from the historical dates in the time period considered, although the errors associated with these preclude a precise comparison. The accord gives qualified support for both systems and invalidates some published objections to the use of a calibrated time scale in prehistoric archaeology.

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CLARK, R., RENFREW, C. Tree-ring Calibration of Radiocarbon Dates and the Chronology of Ancient Egypt. Nature 243, 266–270 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1038/243266a0

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