AMS 14C age of the Upper Palaeolithic skeletons from Sungir site, Central Russian Plain

Bones of three human individuals, found at the Upper Palaeolithic site of Sungir (central European Russia) in graves with unique adornments and other rich burial goods, have recently been C-14-dated at the NSF-Arizona AMS Facility. Collagen for dating was extracted using slow demineralization of whole bone fragments in weak hydrochloric acid. For the Sungir 1 burial, a C-14 value of approximate to19200 BP was obtained; for the double burial Sungir 2 and 3, C-14 values of approximate to26200-27200 BP (average approximate to26400 BP) were obtained. This contradicts earlier C-14 dates made at the Oxford AMS Lab, with collagen extracted following Longin's technique: approximate to22900 BP for Sungir 1; and approximate to23800-24100 BP (average approximate to23900 BP) for Sungir 2 and 3. The use of two different techniques of collagen extraction for the Tucson and Oxford dates might be the cause of the age differences. Additional studies need to be conducted to resolve these C-14 age differences. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.