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Funny and tricky sample wrappings – Challenging your radiocarbon laboratory

Lindauer S¹,  Friedrich R¹

¹Curt-Engelhorn-Centre Archaeometry, Mannheim, Germany

Radiocarbon samples can be wrapped in all sorts of bag and materials to make sure the samples arrive safe and sound. Over the years  variety of possible and impossible samples arrived at our lab, causing problems occassionally but often being the highlight of the day cheering up the people involved.

When someone is in the field, sometimes an important samples needs to be taken when the person is totally unprepared. Then things like cigarette packets, or former office packets can become important to help out. But sometimes samples are taken, wrapped in aluminium foil and forgotten in the desks. See on our poster what happened to these.

This poster is meant to cheer you up, not to blame anybody. But also with a little warning here and there.