Luminescence Dating of an Ancient Walled Settlement in Orkhon Valley, Mongolia

A new chronology for an ancient walled settlement in the Orkhon Valley, Mongolia, suggests construction around 785±80 AD, challenging earlier archaeological estimates of 906–1125 AD. Researchers used optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating on quartz samples, applying the post-IR OSL method to small aliquots as proxies for single-grain measurements. Statistical analysis revealed a dose distribution with a central age model (CAM) De of 5.14±0.10 Gy and over dispersion of 47.5%, while the minimum age model (MAM) De was 3.7±0.6 Gy. The fast quartz post-IR OSL component, free from suspected partial bleaching, supported the earlier construction date. However, the MAM age aligns with independent evidence for reconstruction or reuse of the settlement around 1090±80 AD. This study demonstrates the potential of luminescence dating for young samples in cultural landscapes and refines our understanding of the Orkhon Valley's historical timeline.

S, T., S, S., L, M., & J, B. (2018). LUMINESCENCE DATING OF AN ANCIENT WALLED SETTLEMENT IN ORKHON VALLEY, MONGOLIA. Proceedings of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, 4–14. https://doi.org/10.5564/pmas.v57i4.918