We deliver trusted and timely luminescence dating with the support you need to quickly and confidently progress your heritage management and research projects. The Vicus laboratory is situated in our purpose-built, 390 sqm facility that houses state-of-the-art instruments for luminescence dating.

Luminescence dating is a method used to determine the age of archaeological materials, landforms and sediments. It can be applied to samples as young as a few decades and as old as several hundred thousand years, thus enabling us to better understand our history and the history of environmental change.

Our luminescence dating services include:

Dating sediments.

We provide routine luminescence dating of sediment samples for archaeological and environmental projects around the world. We deliver high-resolution, single-grain luminescence ages in as little as eight weeks* for Australian samples. International samples may take longer.

Dating lithic artefacts and rocks.

Vicus is refining novel techniques for directly dating buried lithic artefacts and rocks. This approach gives our clients more confidence in the age of lithic archaeological materials by circumventing assumptions surrounding stratigraphic integrity. It also allows for the dating of rock-based sites, such as stone arrangements, stone structures, stone pavements, and fish traps that form an integral, yet enigmatic part of our ancient history.

Dating pottery and buildings.

Vicus is equipped to date pottery sherds as well as building materials such as adobe bricks. We are always expanding our capabilities by testing and developing novel dating approaches for new materials.

Consulting services.

Our team is ready to help you at every stage of your project. We can help you with training, developing sampling strategies and interpreting results. Through our collaborative approach and expert advice, we are well placed to help you make informed decisions for your project.

Luminescence geochronology is a dynamic and evolving field where novel approaches are continually being developed for new sample types and contexts. At Vicus, we strive to push the boundaries of luminescence dating research by developing, testing and refining new dating techniques. We are committed to enabling our clients to confidently progress their projects quickly and answer fundamental questions about Earth’s history and our place within it.

Professional Affiliations / Qualifications

Dr. Luke Gliganic.

PhD Scientific Director.

Luke Gliganic is an archaeologist and geochronologist with deep experience in research and archaeological consulting. He has been developing and applying luminescence dating approaches in geo- and archaeological contexts since 2007. Luke’s research has centred on innovating luminescence dating approaches to date complex sites, with a focus on directly dating buried and exposed rock surfaces and lithic artefacts. He has successfully dated lithic artefact scatters, buried artefacts, stone arrangement construction and maintenance, bioturbated sandy soils and mixing, in addition to a great many rockshelter, open air, and landscape sites. His research has been published in Nature, Science Advances, Geology, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Journal of Human Evolution, Quaternary Science Reviews, and more.

Dr. Christina Neudorf.

PhD, Laboratory Manager.

Christina has a background in geology and geomorphology as well as developing and applying luminescence dating techniques in archaeological and paleoenvironmental investigations. She has acquired extensive experience in lab management and supervision that includes increasing lab capabilities and maximizing the efficiency of lab workflows. She has provided chronologies for archaeological and paleoenvironmental studies across North America as well as sites in Africa, Australia, China, Europe, Saudi Arabia and Antarctica. Her research has been published in journals such as Science, Nature Communications, PLoS One, Quaternary Science Reviews, among others.

Dr. Daniel Ellerton.

PhD, Operations and Radiation Safety Officer.

Daniel is a physical geographer specialising in the reconstruction of past landscapes and climates. His research interests involve the application of luminescence dating and other geochronological techniques to answer questions relating to how landscapes form and evolve through time. Daniel’s recent work used luminescence dating and magnetostratigraphy to determine the formation mechanisms of the large sand islands in southeast Queensland, Australia. He also has a background in paleoecology using sediment proxy records to reconstruct climate histories along eastern Australia. Daniel brings to Vicus a keen interest in landscapes, the processes that form them and how we can use this information to understand future global change.