Austarch1: A database of ¹⁴C and luminescence ages from archaeological sites in the Australian arid zone

AustArch1 is a Microsoft® Excel® database listing radiocarbon, luminescence and uranium series ages from archaeological sites in the Australian arid zone. It was originally compiled to support analysis of time-series trends by the authors (Smith et al. 2008;Williams et al. in press) and is now available online at http://palaeoworks.anu.edu.au/databases.html. The database is intended as a resource for archaeologists working in the arid zone. It provides a ready checklist of dated sites as well as a comprehensive listing of radiocarbon, luminescence and uranium series age determinations, and in conjunction with calibration programs such as OxCal or Calib, can be used to generate radiocarbon density plots for analysis of trends in occupation. Research in the arid zone has grown over the past decade, making this central listing of chronometric data particularly relevant, and we expect that AustArch1 will become a useful tool for both consultant and academic archaeologists.