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Razani M, Taghavi N. Absolute Dating of Ancient Limes Base Mortars Using 14C Carbon Method. JRA 2024; 10 (1) :189-202
URL: http://jra-tabriziau.ir/article-1-367-en.html

In this review article, we discuss the challenges and methods of dating ancient lime mortars using radiocarbon dating. The article highlights the difficulties in dating ancient lime mortars and the development of new methods to overcome these challenges. One of the approaches investigated for many years was the collection of different gas phases from the reaction of lime mortar with acid in order to date them. They conducted experiments to remove the effect of fossilized limestone or dead carbon. The mortar was washed with water and converted into smaller particles to create a suspension, which was then treated with alcohol to obtain particles in specific size ranges. The resulting micro powders were dried, and the gas phase produced from their reaction with phosphoric acid was collected and analyzed. The article includes challenges such as the difficulty in separating and dating the carbonate fraction of traditional mortars and the requirement for pre-screening methods. The most important strategies for dating mortars are categorized as accurate structural characterization of the mortar sample, examination of different carbonate fractions, proper separation of the mortar, and accurate measurement of 14C. Despite all efforts done up to today, finding a pure sample of lime mortar continues to be a challenge. In 2011, a new method called Cryo2SoniC was proposed and tested on artificial laboratory samples. The results were promising, leading to further experiments using the Cryo2SoniC method in various institutions and universities since 2013.