Antiquity 80 (310)

The paper presents an update on radiocarbon calibration results from the 19th International Radiocarbon Conference at Oxford in April 2006. The way radiocarbon dates and absolute dates relate to each other differs in three periods: back to 12,400 cal BP, radiocarbon dates can be calibrated with tree rings, and the calibration curve in this form should soon extend back to 18,000 cal BP. Between 12,400 and 26,000 cal BP, the calibration curves are based on marine records, and thus are only a best estimate of atmospheric concentrations. Beyond 26,000 cal BP, dates have to be based on comparison (rather than calibration) with a variety of sources. Radical variations are thus possible in this period, a highly significant caveat for the dating of Middle and Lower Paleolithic art, artefacts and animal and human remains.

Using strontium isotope measurements on the teeth of fallow deer found at Fishbourne, the authors argue that these creatures were first introduced into Britain as a gift to the Romanised aristocracy. It is suggested that, kept and bred in a special enclosure at the palace, they provided more than a status symbol and gastronomic treat: that the fallow deer was an emblem of Empire.

In 1996 Internet Archaeology, the first peer-reviewed e-journal for archaeology, published its first edition (Heyworth et al 1997). Later the same year the Archaeology Data Service, the first digital archive for archaeology, was established (Richards 1997). Ten years on, the paper examines the rapid changes which have taken place in electronic publication and looks forward to the next ten years. It examines the pressures on traditional journal publication, and discusses the potential impact on archaeology of the next Internet revolution, the Semantic Web.

Reply to Klejn's article on pages 980--4 of the same issue.