Radiocarbon Calibration and Analysis of Stratigraphy: The OxCal Program

TLDR

Archaeological and geological chronologies are typically constructed from calibrated radiocarbon dates, other dating methods, and stratigraphic data, and case studies demonstrate that statistical methods can effectively combine these sources. The study introduces OxCal, a Windows 3.1 program designed to calibrate radiocarbon dates and extract additional information from stratigraphic evidence. OxCal, written in C++ and employing Bayesian statistics with Gibbs sampling, can automatically perform wiggle matches and compute probability distributions for samples in sequences and phases. OxCal is user‑friendly for both simple calibration and complex site analysis, producing graphical output compatible with virtually any printer.

Abstract

People usually study the chronologies of archaeological sites and geological sequences using many different kinds of evidence, taking into account calibrated radiocarbon dates, other dating methods and stratigraphic information. Many individual case studies demonstrate the value of using statistical methods to combine these different types of information. I have developed a computer program, OxCal, running under Windows 3.1 (for IBM PCs), that will perform both 14 C calibration and calculate what extra information can be gained from stratigraphic evidence. The program can perform automatic wiggle matches and calculate probability distributions for samples in sequences and phases. The program is written in C++ and uses Bayesian statistics and Gibbs sampling for the calculations. The program is very easy to use, both for simple calibration and complex site analysis, and will produce graphical output from virtually any printer.