Species Identification and Tree-ring Dating of Wooden Elements in Myeongjeong-gate of Changgyeong-palace, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

This aimed to species identification and tree-ring dating of wooden elements used in the Myeongjeong-gate of the Changgyeong-palace, Seoul, Korea. Of the 79 wooden elements evaluated, 78 were confirmed to be hard pines and one belonged to Abies spp.. Cores of the wooden elements were collected using a drill for tree-ring dating, and ring-width plots of individual samples were constructed using the TSAP software. The tree-ring dating results for the outermost ring of 58 hard pine wooden elements revealed the following felling dates: early spring of 1604-late fall of 1615, late fall of 1706-early spring of 1707, and late fall of 1828-late fall of 1834. The obtained felling dates of the 1600s and 1800s were found to be consistent with those in the construction and repair records of the Annals of Joseon Dynasty, Gwanghaegun’s Diary and Changgyeonggung Yeonggeondogam Uigwe. However, the obtained felling dates of the 1700s were not consistent with those in the construction and repair records. Therefore, additional confirmation of repairs that were not included in the records was possible using tree-ring dating.