Luminescence Dating of Neolithic Ceramics from Lumea Nou , Romania

Luminescence dating was applied to four Neolithic pottery fragments excavated at Lumea Nou (Alba Iulia, Romania), with the purpose of improving the chronology for the archaeological finds, and hence, the occupational history of the site. The single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) protocol was applied to both blue and infrared stimulated luminescence signals from coarse quartz and polymineral fine grains, respectively. A more conventional approach which uses a multiple-aliquot additive-dose protocol and thermoluminescence signals from polymineral fine grains was applied as well. The characteristics of the OSL and IRSL signals were investigated in terms of behaviour in the SAR protocol, dose response and dose recovery. Additionally, anomalous fading measurements of the 410 nm IRSL emission and of the blue TL emission from polymineral fine-grains were performed. Both signals were observed to be affected by anomalous fading. OSL dating of quartz using the SAR protocol is considered to be the technique of choice; it yields an average age of 6.0±0.4 ka (n = 4), which is in agreement with archaeological expectations. The dating results allow refining the typological interpretation of the objects and improve the chronological framework for the site.