Problems associated with correlating calibrated radiocarbon-dated pollen diagrams with historical events

Abstract

Problems of reconciling events registered in radiocarbon-dated pollen diagrams with calendar- dated archaeological events have been encountered when interpreting pollen diagrams constructed from a number of mire sites in the Hadrianic-Antonine frontier zone of Roman Britain. Only at Fozy Moss, Northumbria, is it possible to relate a substantial clearance in the radiocarbon-dated pollen diagram to a particular event in the calendar-dated archaeological record; in this case the Roman occupation of northern Britain and the building of Hadrian's Wall. The limitations encountered with such an approach are highlighted - too few dates and lack of precision as a result of sample size and calibration - and their implications discussed.