Lime Mortar and Plaster: A Radiocarbon Dating Tool for Dating Nabatean Structures in Petra, Jordan

Abstract

This research aims at radiocarbon dating 2 structures of archaeological interest from Petra, south Jordan, using lime plaster and mortar. Initially, the samples’ content of calcareous contamination was examined by petrography and cathodoluminescence. In order to date clean lime binders, the samples were gently crushed and 63–45 µm powders were collected by dry sieving, then the CO2 gases, collected by a hydrochloric acid hydrolysis of the powders, were dated. The interpreted 14C dates clarify the chronology of the studied structures, show an agreement with the archaeological and historical data, and may indicate the efficiency of the cleaning and hydrolysis procedures.