We have been busy preparing the first round of samples for submission to the Center for Applied Isotope Studies at the University of Georgia. These samples primarily consist of carbonized maize kernels and cob fragments from 12 ancestral Huron-Wendat sites in southern Ontario.
Megan Conger preparing samples for submission to CAIS
Our project includes a multi-laboratory strategy to control for and ensure no inter-laboratory offsets. This means that we will be aware of how any differences in sample processing between the labs may be affecting the results.
For each site, at least one sample is being divided and split between two laboratories. This means literally splitting some carbonized maize kernels in half and dating each half separately. Overall, a mix of pairings will be used across three laboratories to establish that comparable results are achieved independent of the individual laboratories.
These samples will be joined soon by others from New York State in the first round of submissions. Once we have a sense of how the results from the first round are coming together, a second round of samples will be dated in order to clarify any ambiguities in the data set.
Dating Iroquoia 