Aegean Trees and Timbers: Dendrochronological Survey of the Island of Symi

Anastasia Christopoulou,Tomasz Ważny,Yasemin Özarslan,Barbara Gmińska-Nowak

doi:10.3390/f11121266

Anastasia Christopoulou, Tomasz Ważny + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/f11121266

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Journal: Forests	Publication Date: Nov 27, 2020
Citations: 8	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Nicolaus Copernicus University, Koç University

Abstract

The current study presents the results of the first dendrochronological survey performed over the East Aegean island of Symi. Research Highlights: Dendrochronological research of the East Aegean region is of paramount importance since dendrochronological data from the region, and especially the islands, are still limited. Background and Objectives: The main aim of the study is to explore the dendrochronological potential of the island, focusing on the dating of historical wood and buildings as well as dendroprovenancing. Materials and Methods: A total of 57 wood samples were collected from historical timber from windmills and architectural elements, including doors and warehouse planks, while 68 cores were collected from the three dominant tree species of the island—Cupressus sempervirens, Pinus brutia, and Quercus ithaburensis subsp. macrolepis—in an attempt to develop local reference chronologies that could be useful in dating historical timber Results: Of the historical timber, at least nine different species have been detected, with conifers representing the majority of the collected material. In total, 56% of the dendroarchaeological samples, belonging to four different species, were dated absolutely. According to cross-dating and dendroprovenancing results, Pinus nigra, Cedrus sp., and Quercus sp. represent timber imported from present-day Turkey while the fir samples collected from the windmills originate from Central Europe. The use of local timber is also highly probable although it could not be confirmed by the reference chronologies developed for the three dominant tree species of the island. Conclusions: The results of the study reveal the dendrochronological potential of the island from both dendroarchaeological and dendroecological perspectives. The finding that most of the wood was imported mainly from Turkey highlights the importance of timber trade with the Turkish mainland during the mid-18th and 19th centuries. Chronologies developed from living trees could be used in future studies for dating historical material while further research would increase our understanding of past timber trade and the island’s history.

Highlights

IntroductionCrete [1,2,3,4,5,6], Samos [7,8], and Euboea [9,10]
A dendrochronological survey of the Aegean islands is of paramount importance since, up to now and according to our current knowledge, dendrochronological data from the region are limited toCrete [1,2,3,4,5,6], Samos [7,8], and Euboea [9,10]
Chronologies developed from living trees could be used in future studies for dating historical material while further research would increase our understanding of past timber trade and the island’s history

Summary

Introduction

Crete [1,2,3,4,5,6], Samos [7,8], and Euboea [9,10] The majority of these studies focus on living trees and the environmental and/or climatic factors that drive their growth trend and survival [1,2,3,4,5,7,8,9]. Two of these studies deal with dendroarchaeological studies of historical buildings from the Venetian and Ottoman periods [6,10]. Recent studies highlight the potential of several historical buildings such as monasteries, churches, and mansions, where timber is available in Southern Greece and the islands [13]

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