An integrated accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating and ion beam analysis approach for the study of archaeological contexts

The integration in the accelerator-based facility at CEDAD (Centro di Datazione e Diagnostica), University of Lecce, of a state-of-the art AMS (accelerator mass spectrometry) 14C dating system, and three different beam lines for IBA (ion beam analysis) compositional investigations, has given the possibility of developing an integrated IBA-AMS approach to the study of a wide range of archaeological problems. Here we present three cases where in air IBA methods were involved for the elemental characterisation of objects found in archaeological contexts, chronologically defined on the basis of high resolution AMS14C measurements.