Legacy radiocarbon dates and the archaeological chronology of the Western Pyrenees

The Western Pyrenees as a geographic region spanning portions of France and Spain is explored through the analysis of publicly available legacy radiocarbon dates from archaeological contexts. Eight hundred and eighty-three radiocarbon dates were identified. After completing a chronometric hygiene, a total of 416 radiocarbon dates were then available for use in our Bayesian analysis and simulations. Dates were calibrated using OxCal 4.2.7 and the IntCal 20 curve then compared with simulated dates for commonly recognized archaeological periods in the Western Pyrenees. The simulation results offer a coherent framework for improving the chrono-logical models and defensible radiometric evidence for the onset, duration, and decline of various cultural his-torical phenomena in the region. The key finding is that publicly available radiocarbon dates from archaeological contexts in the Western Pyrenees are subject to varying uncertainties that affect their precision and accuracy and limit the questions they are presently suitable for addressing. This points to the importance of increasing access, transparency, and dissemination of archaeological results in the Western Pyrenees in line with Open Science guidelines.