The Thera olive branch, Akrotiri (Thera) and Palaikastro (Crete) Acknowledgements I would like to thank Otto Cichocki of the Dendro Laboratory of the Vienna Institute of Archaeological Science for his assessment of the matter of the absence of the outer part of the branch (the bark edge). References BIETAK, M. 2004. [Review of A test of time by Sturt W. Manning]. Bibliotheca Orientalis 61: 199–222. – 2013. Antagonisms in historical and radiocarbon chronology, in A.J. Shortland & C. Bronk Ramsey (ed.) Radiocarbon and the chronologies of Ancient Egypt: 78–110. Oxford: Oxbow. BRONK RAMSEY, C., M.W. DEE, J.M. ROWLAND, T.F.G. HIGHAM, S.A. HARRIS,F.BROCK, A. QUILES, E.M. WILD, E.S. MARCUS & A.J. SHORTLAND. 2010. Radiocarbon-based chronology for Dynastic Egypt. Science 328: 1554–57. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/ science.1189395 FRIEDRICH, W.L., B. KROMER, M. FRIEDRICH, J. HEINEMEIER, T. PFEIFFER & S. TALAMO. 2006. Santorini eruption radiocarbon dated to 1627–1600 B.C. Science 312: 548. http://dx.doi. org/10.1126/science.1125087 H¨ ANSEL, B., B. HOREJS, R. JUNG & B. WENINGER. 2010. Die absolute Chronologie der Schichten des pr¨ ahistorischen Olynth, in B. H¨ ansel & I. Aslanis (ed.) Das Pr¨ ahistorische Olynth, Ausgrabungen in der Toumba Agios Mamas 1994–1996, Die Grabung und der Baubefund (Pr¨ ahistorische Arch¨ aologie in S¨ udosteuropa 23): 301–81. Rahden: Marie Leidorf. KUTSCHERA, W., M. BIETAK, E.M. WILD, C. BRONK RAMSEY, M. DEE, R. GOLSER, K. KOPETZKY, P. STADLER,P.STEIRER, U. THANHEISER & F. WENINGER 2012. The chronology of Tell el-Dab’a: a crucial meeting point of 14 C dating, archaeology and Egyptology in the 2 nd millennium BC. Radiocarbon 54: 407–22. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.2458/azu js rc.v54i3–4.16169 MANNING, S.W. 1999. A test of time: the volcano of Thera and the chronology and history of the Aegean and East Mediterranean in the mid second millennium BC. Oxford: Oxbow SCHNEIDER, T. 2008. Das Ende der Kurzen Chronologie: Eine Kritische Bilanz der Debatte zur absoluten Datierung des Mittleren Reiches und der Zweiten Zwischenzeit. ¨ A&L 18: 275–313. STERBA, J.H., K.P. FOSTER, G. STEINHAUSER & M. BICHLER. 2009. New light on old pumice: the origins of Mediterranean volcanic material from ancient Egypt. Journal of Archaeological Science 36: 1738–44. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jas. 2009.03.031 The Thera olive branch, Akrotiri (Thera) and Palaikastro (Crete): comparing radiocarbon results of the Santorini eruption Hendrik J. Bruins 1 & Johannes van der Plicht 2,3 An olive branch is traditionally a symbol of peace, but not necessarily in the context of chronological problems in the Eastern Mediterranean region and the Near East during the second millennium BC. Cherubini et al. (above) strongly attack the radiocarbon dating 1 Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 84990, Israel (Email: hjbruins@bgu.ac.il) 2 Centre for Isotope Research, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands 3 Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Reuvensplaats 3, 2311 BE, Leiden, The Netherlands C  Antiquity Publications Ltd. 282