6 - Working with Archaeological Wood

Summary

This chapter examines some of the analytical procedures and practicalities of work with archaeological wood, aside from wood identification (Chapter 5). The categories and variety of primary data commonly used and reported in archaeological wood analysis are reviewed, including concerns inherent to work with ancient material. Anatomical observations and morphometric data collection at the larger, macroscopic scale are elaborated, including observations and procedures concerning sample selection for radiocarbon dating purposes. Some of the coverage relates directly to the broader research involving growth-ring variation, that is, dendroclimatology and related fields, some of which is described in earlier chapters. The general analytical approaches that are nowadays commonly used to report and compare among archaeological wood assemblages are overviewed, as are issues involving temporal and spatial resolution, including discrepancies, results that deviate from expectations. The chapter concludes with a view toward the future, directing attention to the relevance of archaeological wood in the modern world, not the least being as a record of past climate dynamics and global change.