Radiocarbon dating of ancient bronze statues: Preliminary results from the Riace statues

Abstract

The low amount of material needed for the measurements makes AMS radiocarbon a technique suitable for the dating of ancient bronze artefacts through the analysis of the organic residues contained into the casting cores. We present the results of the AMS radiocarbon dating analyses carried out on the organic remains extracted from the casting cores of the Riace bronzes, among the most famous and well preserved sculptures of the Greek-Classical period. Although different dating hypotheses have been suggested on the base of stylistic considerations, no conclusive answers are, so far, available. The sample selection and preparation protocols of the different kind of organic materials (charred wood, vegetal remains and animal hairs) are described as well as the interpretation of the results in the frame of the current dating hypotheses and available analytical information about the casting technology.