14C Dating Mortar in Ireland

Abstract

I have developed a method of dating early medieval Irish buildings using charcoal encased in mortar. Due to the inclement weather over centuries, timbers do not preserve well in these structures, leaving little suitable material for 14C dating. Initially, several buildings of known age were analyzed to verify the mortar charcoal technique. Then, a series of buildings for which no definite architectural-historical dates existed, e.g., churches, houses, oratories and round towers, was successfully tested. I discuss here the results of this dating approach, and provide architectural historians with a firmer understanding of the origin and antiquity of early Irish buildings.