Single-Year 14C Dating of the Lake-Fortress at Āraiši, Latvia

A breakthrough in dating the Viking-Age Ring Fortress at Āraiši, Latvia, has been achieved using single-year radiocarbon (14C) sampling. By synchronizing a spruce log from the fortress's timber platform with the AD 774/5 Miyake event, researchers determined its felling date to be AD 835—50–60 years later than previously proposed. This precision was enabled by dendrochronological synchronisms and challenges earlier assumptions based on IntCal13 calibration, aligning instead with newer IntCal20 values. The findings cast doubt on the reliability of IntCal20 for this period (ca. AD 825–835), reinforcing concerns raised by Philippsen et al. (2022). This study underscores the importance of high-resolution dating techniques in archaeological research.

Meadows, J., Zunde, M., Lēģere, L., Dee, M. W., & Hamann, C. (2023). SINGLE-YEAR ¹⁴C DATING OF THE LAKE-FORTRESS AT ĀRAIŠI, LATVIA. Radiocarbon, 66(6), 1929–1939. https://doi.org/10.1017/rdc.2023.24