First generation Christians, second generation radiocarbon dates: The cemetery at St. Clement's in Oslo

The archaeological material from the site of St. Clement's Church in Oslo, one of the earliest Christian cemeteries in Norway, is important for studying the Christianisation process in this country. Radiocarbon dates from 1972 generated discussions on the typology of early Christian burials, the architecture of early medieval stone churches, the role of churches dedicated to St. Clement, the relation between the church and the urban settlement, and the age of the city. The celebration of Oslo's 1000-year anniversary in 2000 was based on the results from 1972 and the discussions that followed. The material from St. Clement's in Oslo is still playing an important role in relevant discussions. However, in the light of information gained since then, the reliability of the radiocarbon dates from 1972 can be questioned. This paper discusses improvements in the radiocarbon dating methods and illustrates the necessity to be sceptical of old results. New radiocarbon dates are presented. They show in particular that the earliest possible range in the previous results is no longer tenable. The article also discusses the consequences of this result for the theories regarding the Christianisation process in Norway and for the age of Oslo.