Hydroxyproline Dating

Described as the gold standard of radiocarbon dating, this method isolates the collagen-exclusive amino acid hydroxyproline (HYP) using preparative-High Performance Liquid Chromatography (prep-HPLC). By dating only the hydroxyproline fraction, we can circumvent nearly all types of contamination that may be present in the sample, including traces of common conservation materials such as glues. This method yields the highest-precision dates for exceptional specimens such as the North Sea Homotherium mandible. Hydroxyproline dating will take place at the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit (University of Oxford: Rachel Wood and Mark Stevenson).