New radiocarbon insights and a special UHI Archaeology Institute seminar
There is exciting news this week as Professor Seren Griffiths, of Manchester Metropolitan University, visits Ness HQ to discuss a new suite of radiocarbon dates for the site. These latest results are helping to refine our understanding of the Ness chronology, and we hope to be able to share more details about them very soon.
During her visit, Seren will also deliver a special seminar for the UHI Archaeology Institute exploring the science behind radiocarbon dating and the ways archaeologists use this powerful technique to build narratives about the past. The seminar is free to attend and available both in person and online.
The talk draws on two major Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) projects led by Seren:
- Project Radiocarbon, an open-access repository that brings together more than 35,000 radiocarbon dates from across Britain and Ireland in a searchable, map-based database.
- Project TIME (Third and Fourth Millennia Ireland and Britain: a History of Major Social Change Explored), which offers a fresh perspective on the period between 3500 and 1500 cal BC by examining evidence across traditional archaeological boundaries of artefacts, site types and communities to better understand people’s lived experiences and practices.
Together, these projects examine how archaeologists use radiocarbon evidence to establish the sequence and structure of events in the past. In her seminar, Seren will discuss how these approaches can be used to create what she describes as “ethically Bayesian” narratives, bringing statistical modelling together with thoughtful interpretations of human lives and experiences.
The seminar begins at 4pm on Friday, October 30, and can be attended either in person at the UHI Orkney Lecture Theatre or online via Microsoft Teams. To register for the online session, click here.
