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The Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit (ORAU) is a radiocarbon laboratory engaged in collaborative research across many disciplines where the measurement of the radiocarbon isotope is useful including:

  • Archaeology and art history
  • Biological and genetic research
  • Earth science
  • Environmental science

The laboratory provides a radiocarbon dating service for people undertaking research in all these areas. This dating service operates on a commercial basis and in conjunction with NERC/AHRC which funds the NEIF programme for British archaeologists. This dating service provides support for all stages of radiocarbon dating from project design and sample choice right through to data analysis.

 

ORAU was one of the first radiocarbon AMS laboratories to be founded in the early 1980s. Since then it has been a leader in radiocarbon research in a wide variety of different areas including:

  • Development of new methods for pretreatment and measurement
  • Applications of dating to archaeological and environmental research
  • Radiocarbon dating in conjunction with genetic research
  • Environmental records of radiocarbon and their implications for Earth Science
  • Statistical analysis of radiocarbon and other chronological data

ORAU staff regularly publish research articles arising from research undertaken within the laboratory and we are always interested to hear of publications that arise out of dating project carried out with us. More information on publications can be found on the University of Oxford's School of Archaeology website and in our Publications Database.

 

We are very grateful to all the support we've received over the years from a wide range of institutions. Without such support the facility would not have been established and we would not be able to carry out the research or offer the services that we do.

  • Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK)
  • European Research Council
  • High Voltage Engineering Europa BV
  • Higher Education Funding Council for England
  • Historic England
  • John Fell Fund (University of Oxford)
  • The Leverhulme Trust
  • Natural Environment Research Council (UK)
  • The Wellcome Trust

 

https://www.youtube.com/embed/xQka8ohWLFo?si=5uGD_MLDFKR8unjL

POLARIS (POLlen RAdio-ISotope)

Ritsumeikan University, Japan, and ORAU are working in collaboration to provide analysis of pollen grains to the archaeological community. More details coming soon.