Two samples of charcoal and sediment from the same contexts as foreign ceramics and earthenware discovered at the Dieng Plateau were sent to the Rafter GNS Science laboratory in New Zealand for AMS dating. Both were recovered from unit A’a11.1, from spits 3 and 6. The carbon sample from spit 6 was in the same context as a Changsha-style porcelain sherd with brown rim, whereas the sample from spit 3 came from the same context as a gacuk.
The charcoal from unit A’a11.1 spit 6 (NZA36576) yielded a conventional age of 1306±30 BP. The calibrated result at the 95% confidence level is AD 659-772. The sample from spit 3(NZA36404) yielded a conventional age of 1194±15 or a calibrated age of 1171 BP to 1066 BP (95% confidence interval), equivalent to 779-884 AD. The difference in age is consistent with their locations in the stratigraphic sequence, adding additional evidence that the site has lain undisturbed since these charcoal samples were deposited in the soil.
