Research Training Program

Since its inception in the 1950's, radiocarbon dating has helped archaeologists gain a clearer picture of the worlds of the ancient people they study. The goal of this research was to test some of the strengths and weaknesses of this powerful tool. The substantial database of radiocarbon dates and rich and complex culture history of Labrador, Canada was the focus of this study. Many anthropologists have suggested that cultures change in regular intervals of time; the first objective of this project was to examine the capacity of radiocarbon dating to isolate and identify these intervals of change. To learn more about radiocarbon dating, the researcher traveled to Beta Analytic, a radiocarbon lab in Miami, Florida. Based on the insight gained while there it soon became clear that radiocarbon dating cannot accommodate the identification of intervals of change. As radiocarbon dates are expressed not as a solitary, specific date but rather as a range of time in which the actual date most likely falls, it would be extremely difficult to isolate intervals of culture change within these radiocarbon dates that are expressed as intervals of time themselves. Keeping this in mind, the second research objective was to examine whether radiocarbon dating can identify situations in which culture contact was possible. To do this, a model was devised for using both radiocarbon dates and the archaeological record to identify situations of potential contact and interaction. For contact between different groups to occur, people need to be in the same place at the same time. Analysis of the archaeological record alone may provide the answer to the question of where people lived, but it cannot address when they were there. This is where radiocarbon dating comes in. After an intense examination of both the spatial and temporal distribution of Groswater Dorset and Dorset sites along the Labrador coast, it was determined that radiocarbon dating provides an excellent basis for studying past demographic scenarios.