Radiocarbon Calibration in the Mid to Later 14th Century BC and Radiocarbon Dating Tell el-Amarna, Egypt

A model combining available 14C dates and historical constraints indicates a maximum possible offset around the time of the burial of Tutankhamun of ~19 14C years versus IntCal20.

“A model combining the available 14C dates and the historical constraints7, 33,50 (Supplementary Table S3) indicates a maximum possible offset around the time of the burial of Tutankhamun of ~ 19 14C years versus IntCal20 (Fig. 4b).”

For Egypt, an offset allowance of 19 ± 5 14C years was proposed and appears necessary to achieve plausible protohistoric dates.

“The partial exception is Egypt, where an offset allowance of 19 ± 5 14C years was proposed (16, 23) and appears necessary to achieve plausible protohistoric dates (23, 24).”

Mainstream assessments of historical sources place the time range for the accession of Tutankhamun and his death likely in his 9th or 10th year, somewhere between ~1336/1325 and 1327/1316 BCE.

“Mainstream assessments of historical sources place the time range for the accession of Tutankhamun (the king and his court subsequently leave Amarna for Memphis early in his reign) and his death likely in his 9th or 10th year, somewhere between ~1336/1325 and 1327/1316 BCE (23, 24, 49).”

Rerunning the Tutankhamun data set analysis against IntCal13 and comparing against IntCal04 and Hd GOR shows a likely best fit versus the Hd GOR range.

“The placement of the Tutankhamun data set rerunning the analysis in (24) against IntCal13 and comparing against IntCal04 and Hd GOR similarly shows a likely best fit versus the Hd GOR range (Fig. 4A, inset).”

For the time range of this study, Hd GeO values compare well with previous Seattle LLGPC measurements on GeO 1700 to 1500 BCE, Oxford (OxA) AMS 14C measurements on GeO 1354 to 1303 BCE and on Anatolian juniper from the late 21st to 20th centuries BCE, and Keck AMS 14C measurements on BCP 795 to 625 BCE.

“Hd GeO values compare well with previous Seattle LLGPC measurements on GeO 1700 to 1500 BCE (15), Oxford (OxA) AMS 14C measurements on GeO 1354 to 1303 BCE (24) and on Anatolian juniper from the late 21st to 20th centuries BCE (figs. S2 and S3) (46), and Keck Carbon Cycle Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, University of California, Irvine AMS 14C measurements on BCP 795 to 625 BCE (fig. S4)”