Arch14CZ

Czech Archaeological Radiocarbon Database

About the Database

The purpose of the Czech Archaeological Radiocarbon Database (Arch14CZ) is to gather all radiocarbon dates from archaeological contexts in Czechia. Outside the scope remains radiocarbon dating of palaeoecological contexts without direct human impact, like palynological cores or anthracological sampling. On the other hand, unlimited is the chronological scope of Arch14CZ, meaning that all periods of archaeological research are covered.

It was developed within the project RAMSES (Ultra-trace isotope research in social and environmental studies using accelerator mass spectrometry) and has been available online since March 2023. It is integrated into the framework of the Archaeological Information System of the Czech Republic administered by the Institutes of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences with the intention to ensure long-term maintenance and periodic updates.

Citation

Please cite the database as

Vondrovský, V. - Demján, P. - Dreslerová, D. 2023: Arch14CZ - Czech Archaeological Radiocarbon Database. Available at: http://arch14.aiscr.cz/ [accessed 23.10.2024].

Data Structure

The database contains the following fields:

  1. Arch14CZ ID - Unique ID.
  2. Lab Code - The laboratory code is unique for each sample and serves to identify it. It also carries information about the laboratory that measured the sample.
  3. 14C Activity - C-14 measurement in radiocarbon (uncalibrated) years BP.
  4. 14C Uncertainty - 1-sigma uncertainty of the measurement.
  5. Cal CE From, Cal CE To - 95.45% range of the calibrated radiocarbon date in calendar years of the Common Era.
  6. Notes
  7. Reliability - Reliability of the C-14 dating in respect to the archaeological context.
  8. Reliability Notes
  9. Country
  10. Country Code
  11. District
  12. District Code
  13. Cadastre
  14. Cadastre Code
  15. Site - Unique name of the site where the sample was collected.
  16. Site AMCR ID - ID of the Site in the Archaeological Map of the Czech Republic.
  17. Coordinates - WGS 84 standard, format XX.XXXXXXXN, XX.XXXXXXXE
  18. Activity Area - Type of the archaeological activity area according to the AMCR dictionary.
  19. Activity Area AMCR ID
  20. Feature - Type of the archaeological feature according to the AMCR dictionary.
  21. Feature AMCR ID
  22. Context Description - Description of the position of the sample within the feature.
  23. Depth cm - Depth at which the sample was retrieved.
  24. Context Name - Identifier of the context within the site.
  25. Published Relative Dating - Relative dating of the context as published in the original source.
  26. Relative Dating AMCR ID
  27. Dating Order From, Dating Order To - Ordering of the relative dating of the context based on relative chronological relations with the other datings.
  28. Sample Number - ID assigned by the submitter of the dated sample.
  29. Sample Notes - Includes collagen values and other accompanying measurements.
  30. Material - General type of the material of the sample.

    bone/tooth [unspcified bone; includes horn, antler, hoof, nail or other hard tissues]
    human bone/tooth [includes nails]
    animal bone/tooth [includes horn, antler, tusk, hoof or other hard animal tissues]
    charcoal
    wood [includes bark]
    plant macroremain [unspecified plant macroremain but also plant parts different from seed/fruit]
    seed/fruit
    organic sediment [includeds humus, bulk sample, humic acids]
    organic crust [carbonised food crust]
    mollusc shell
    excrement
    organic fibre [includes plant fibres, animal fibres and hairs usually plaited in string]
    textile
    burned clay [includes daub, plaster, clay objects different from pottery vessels]
    pottery [ceramic vessels]
    tar/resin
    other material [includes apatite, speleothem, ivory, paper, mortar]
    unpublished

  31. Material AMCR ID
  32. Material Notes - Detailed description of the material.
  33. Source - Primary (usually a publication) and Secondary (usually a database) sources of information about the C-14 measurement.

Sources

All data is based on published sources that are properly cited. Some of the records were previously published in other databases, such as the database Archaeological Chronometry in Slovakia (c14.sk) 1, the database of the project Land use, social transformations and woodland in Central European Prehistory (LASOLES) 2 and The Cultural Evolution of Neolithic Europe (EUROEVOL) dataset 3. Data from these sources have been verified with the original publications and further enhanced with information about the context and dated sample. In such cases, the database is cited as a secondary source.

Last Update

Latest database update: 20-06-2024

Contact

Václav Vondrovský, Institute of Archaeology of the CAS Prague, vondrovsky@arup.cas.cz

Developer Notes

The frontend and backend interface of this database is Free and Open Source and available at the following locations:

Arch14CZ - Backend

Arch14CZ - Frontend

Acknowledgements

Development of this database was supported by OP RDE, MEYS, under the project "Ultra-trace isotope research in social and environmental studies using accelerator mass spectrometry", Reg. No. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000728.

The operation of Arch14CZ is supported by the large research infrastructure project AIS CR (LM2023031).

License

The content of this page is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence. Use of data and metadata is subject to this license unless explicitly stated otherwise.

References

[1]: Barta, P. - Demján, P. - Hladíková, K. - Kmeťová, P. - Piatničková, K. 2013: Database of radiocarbon dates measured on archaeological samples from Slovakia, Czechia, and adjacent regions. Archaeological Chronometry in Slovakia, Slovak Research and Development Agency Project No. APVV-0598-10, 2011 -2014, Dept. of Archaeology, Faculty of Arts, Comenius University in Bratislava. Available at: http://www.c14.sk

[2]: Tkáč, P. – Kolář, J. 2021: Towards New Demography Proxies and Regional Chronologies: Radiocarbon Dates from Archaeological Contexts Located in the Czech Republic Covering the Period Between 10,000 BC and AD 1250. Journal of Open Archaeology Data 9, 9. http://doi.org/10.5334/joad.85

[3]: Manning, K. - Colledge, S. - Crema, E. - Shennan, S. - Timpson, A. 2016: The Cultural Evolution of Neolithic Europe. EUROEVOL Dataset 1: Sites, Phases and Radiocarbon Data. Journal of Open Archaeology Data, 5(0), p.e2. https://doi.org/10.5334/joad.40