Variations in the Atmospheric Radiocarbon Concentration over the Past 1300 Years

Abstract

Considerable attention has been focussed in recent years upon the validity of the radiocarbon dating method by papers whose authors have considered that one or other of the fundamental principles might either be in error or require serious modification (Crowe, 1958; Milojčić, 1957; Elsasser, Ney, and Winkler, 1957; Daniel, 1959). It has even been suggested that errors as great as 800 years might arise between datings on the same sample made in different laboratories (Crowe, 1958). In the light of such criticism, it is clearly of the utmost importance to investigate, and, if possible, justify the basic assumptions on which the validity of the method rests.