Tree Rings and Wetland Occupation in Southwest Germany Between 2000 and 500 BC: Dendroarchaeology Beyond Dating in Tribute to F. H. Schweingruber

Abstract

Within the framework of landscape and settlement archaeology, archaeological tree-ring data may contain information on the interrelation between humans, climate and environment. This study uses data collected through the systematic analysis and dendrochronological dating of timber from prehistoric lakeshore and bog sites in southwestern Germany spanning 2000 to 500 BC (i.e. Bronze and Early Iron Age). Crossdating various tree species associated with different ecosystems permits exploration of two areas: woodland development and human impact based principally on species determination from wood anatomy and dendrotypological analysis of a large sample series, and archaeological tree-ring data from a paleoecological and paleoclimatological perspective.