1587 radiocarbon dates, 368 sites, 5 amazing countries, ca. 2000 articles reviewed, and 385 selected. These are only some of the numbers linked to MedAfriCarbon, the radiocarbon database and its accompanying web application that are outcomes of the Leverhulme-funded, Cambridge-based MedAfrica project - Archaeological deep history and dynamics of Mediterranean Africa, ca. 9600–700 BC. This database is unusual because the majority of the dates within it have been annotated with further cultural and environmental variables, notably the presence/absence of different domestic/wild species and particular material culture traits. MedAfriCarbon also includes a publicly-accessible web application that facilitates data exploration and informal analysis.
https://openarchaeologydata.metajnl.com/articles/10.5334/joad.60/
If you want to play with our MedAfriCarbon web app, follow this:
http://theia.arch.cam.ac.uk/MedAfriCarbon/
Please let us share with you all some of the very positive comments our work received from the two anonymous reviewers. These words made us particularly proud:
“The authors do an excellent job presenting the justification for creating the radiocarbon database as well as the intricacies and challenges associated with the digital archiving of dates from previously published literature”.
“I was particularly impressed with the wealth of publications (c. 2000) that were reviewed in order to recover the 1,587 radiocarbon dates. However, perhaps more importantly, is the additional data that was also collected including the economic and cultural associations as well as the “intellectual history” of the radiocarbon date itself throughout subsequent publications”.
“I applaud the authors for their discussion about challenges in accomplishing this, given the variability in projection systems, data formats, and changing socio-political boundaries. These are issues that can often limit the association of radiocarbon dates and spatial locations”.
“The addition of the web application that allows for graphical interface with the database and “on-the-fly” radiocarbon calibration and aggregation is an exciting and novel contribution”.
“I firmly agree with the authors that this project is unique and more likely to be reused because of the associated web app, as well as the integration of economic and cultural variables. These are additions to the database that will hopefully make it valued resource for all researchers across the Mediterranean”.
“Overall, this dataset and associated web interface is an impressive integration of a detailed analysis of publications, the logical construction of an archaeological database, and an effective UI design”.
Our gratitude goes to the JOAD Editors Alessio Palmisano and Carmen Ting for welcoming our article in their journal. Very special thanks go to the long list of colleagues who provided us all the useful data and information about the dates, when not available in literature.
This work is dedicated to the loving memory of Geoffrey John Tassie.
Giulio, Toby, Enrico, Augusto, Andy, and Cyprian
