Institute of Archaeological Sciences

Research projects

XRONOS – Open Access Database for absolute chronological archaeological information

In the spirit of the Open Science, the XRONOS project aims at developing a worldwide unique and novel database, to compile and manage the two most important forms of absolute chronological information – radiocarbon and dendrochronological data – to enable a multitude of transdisciplinary research projects on population dynamics, human-environmental dependencies and thus fundamental transformations in the past.

Archaeology today can no longer gain knowledge about social, cultural and economic processes of past societies without scientific absolute-chronological methods and their wide application. The large number of dates available today require appropriate tools to manage them and make them accessible. Based on that, data modelling can be used as a method to draw conclusions from a variety of individually information-weak data. Both are decisive, but not yet sufficiently implemented prerequisites to reach an understanding of the temporal phenomena and dynamics in past societies. However, the basis of any empirically based modelling is the availability of data: Currently, all scientific disciplines face a revolution in the way data is disseminated and used. This novel, cross-disciplinary circulation and utilisation makes it possible to deal with completely new scientific questions and makes archaeological data relevant in thoroughly new contexts. An important source of such information is absolute chronological data. The two most important absolute-chronological methods are dendrochronology (tree-rings) and radiocarbon dating (14C method). Without repositories, most comprehensive analyses are no longer feasible. To date, there is no overarching database that continuously compiles both, 14C and dendrochronological data and makes them accessible in a long-term perspective.

XRONOS aim to establish such an open access database. Our primary goal is to collect 14C and dendrochronological data for Switzerland and neighbouring countries as extensively and comprehensively as possible. The project is designed to be extended beyond the spatial focus as soon as possible.

You can access the database at https://xronos.ch. More about the project and current news can be found on the project blog: https://blog.xronos.ch.

Project management

Dr. Martin Hinz, Institute of Archaeological Sciences, University of Bern

Prof. Dr. Albert Hafner, Institute of Archaeological Sciences, University of Bern

Project partner

Prof. Dr. Sönke Szidat, Departement für Chemie, Biochemie und Pharmazie Universität Bern

Dr. Beat Eberschweiler, Amt für Raumordnung und Vermessung Baudirektion Kanton Zürich Kantonsarchäologie Zürich

Funding

Swiss National Science Fund, Project No IZCOZ0_198153