Radiocarbon dating of charcoal samples from Boomplaas Cave

This application is to export 35 charcoal samples from the Boomplaas Cave archaeological site to the United Kingdom (n = 25) and Poland (n = 10) for the purpose of understanding the site’s Middle and Later Stone Age chronology. The goal of the analysis is to provide high-resolution chronological information for Boomplaas Cave’s archaeological deposits. Our approach draws on several new AMS pre-treatment methods that are not currently in use in South Africa’s only radiocarbon dating facility at iThemba Labs. In addition, we have received funding to cover the costs of these dates from the National Environmental Isotope Facility in the UK.