ANTHRACOLOGY AND XYLOLOGY

Anthracology is widely used in archaeology. This technique is dedicated to the analysis of charcoal, allows to determine the origin of the sample (type of wood, heart, branch or twig for example), but also the nature of the wood (pine, oak, chestnut, etc.).

With anthracology the examination is carried out under three axes: transverse, tangential and radial in order to determine precisely the species or at least the family from which the charcoal comes.

Thanks to the know-how and experience of our scientists, CIRAM laboratories do not just provide numbers. We cross-reference both the results, but also the analysis of the composition of the wood and charcoal to deliver as much information as possible about the wood, the branches, and sometimes even the type of forest management from which the wood would have been taken.

Concrete results, analyses, and hypotheses help advance your archaeological issues related to wood and charcoal.

Xylology represents the study of all the physical, but also chemical properties of wood.

In archaeology, it will allow the identification of species and species to establish a map of settlements and thus define hypotheses on the geographical origin of artifacts.

Dendrochronology allows in some cases to refine carbon-14 dating that can be imprecise (intervals of several hundred years). For this method, it is necessary to measure the width of the growth rings of the wood, as well as their succession. However, we will need access to very precise abacuses depending on the wood species and geographical locations.

In addition, the observation of wood rings will inform us about the tree’s environment. For example, narrow rings will indicate rather dense woodlands, conversely, if the rings are wide, the woodlands were scattered. Dendrochronology also delivers valuable information about the weather conditions of the time and the presence of natural disasters (fires, avalanches, etc.).