Radiocarbon Dating Caribou Antler and Bone : Are They Different?

Abstract

Old archaeological radiocarbon dating lore has it that caribou antler and bone give different dating results, and that for some fundamental reason antler is unreliable as a dating material. We tested this idea by measuring radiocarbon concentrations in the bone and antler of two caribou (one recent, one ancient) for which the antler was still attached to the cranium. No significant differences were found. Thus, it seems that this old myth is groundless.