Increase in ¹⁴C dating accuracy of prehistoric skeletal remains by optimised bone sampling: Chronometric studies on eneolithic burials from Mikulin 9 (Poland) and Urziceni-Vada Ret (Romania)

In this research, sampling optimisation and modelling based thereon follow from the assumption that each human skeleton can be treated as a set of heterochronous carbon reservoirs capable of supplying at least an elementary sequence consisting of two ¹⁴C dates corresponding to the moment of birth (otic capsule) and that of demise (ribs), as well as an anthropologically defined lag between them. Two case studies demonstrate that the approach can raise the precision of ¹⁴C dates related to the death of the individuals. The benefits and main issues of this sampling strategy as well as the involved bioarchaeological conflict potential are taken under discussion.