Long Tree-Ring Chronologies for the Eastern Mediterranean

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Since 1974 Dr. Kuniholm has worked to devise a dendrochronological sequence for Southern Europe and the Near East. To date, he has constructed a tree ring series which extends over approximately 3,000 years and which covers major portions of Turkey, Greece, Italy and adjacent areas in Southeastern Europe. With partial support from the National Science Foundation, he will continue this work. Over the course of three field seasons, together with his colleagues, he will visit numerous sites in the region to collect old wood. Analysis at Kuniholm's Cornell laboratory will then permit their incorporation into a master chronology. The goals of this three year effort are: 1. to fill in the gaps which remain in the chronology and 2. to extend it's geographic range. Because the width of a tree ring is determined by environmental factors such as temperature and precipitation, rings within a single tree vary from year to year. By working from living specimens back through beams in buildings to ancient buried wood it is possible to construct a chronology where an absolute dates can be assigned. With such a master chronology it is then possible to take wood of unknown age and then determine where, if at all, it fits within the sequence. This fact is of great archaeological importance because tree ring analysis provides the most precise dating technique known. It is possible, for example, to use burned charcoal from hearths for this goal. The more precisely and more confidently archaeologists can place an event in time, the wider the range of potential questions which can be answered. Tree ring dating was first practiced in the U.S. Southwest and it revolutionized archaeology there. Dr. Kuniholm has worked patiently to develop a chronology in another archaeologically important part of the world and his results to date have been impressive. This research is important not only to archaeologists, but also to paleoecologists, climatologists and others who use data derived from the past. The tree ring chronology will not only provide a basis to increase our understanding of past human behavior, but also help to illumine such issues as the effect of human actions on climate.