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Possibilities in the Dating of Writing Materials and Textiles

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Richard Burleigh
Affiliation:
Research Laboratory, The British Museum, London WC1B 3DG, England
A D Baynes-Cope
Affiliation:
Research Laboratory, The British Museum, London WC1B 3DG, England
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This paper discusses the characteristics of the commoner classes of writing materials and textiles deriving from ancient and more recent historical sources and the problems they present for 14C dating. The materials under consideration are, firstly, paper in various forms, parchment, and vellum (ancient papyrus, which poses different kinds of dating problems, is not considered) and secondly, fabrics such as linen, cotton, and woolen textiles, to which, from the dating point of view, similar technical considerations apply. Our main concern is with problems associated with the dating of paper.

Type
VII. Archaeology
Copyright
Copyright © The American Journal of Science 

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