Dendrochronological evidence for long-distance timber trading in the Roman Empire

Abstract

An important question for our understanding of Roman history is how the Empire’s economy was structured, and how long-distance trading within and between its provinces was organised and achieved. Moreover, it is still unclear whether large construction timbers, for use in Italy, came from the widespread temperate forests north of the Alps and were then transported to the sparsely-wooded Mediterranean region in the south. Here, we present dendrochronological results from the archaeological excavation of an expensively decorated portico in the centre of Rome. The oak trees (Quercus sp.), providing twenty-four well-preserved planks in waterlogged ground, had been felled between 40 and 60 CE in the Jura Mountains of north-eastern France. It is most likely that the wood was transported to the Eternal City on the Saône and Rhône rivers and then across the Mediterranean Sea. This rare dendrochronological evidence from the capital of the Roman Empire gives fresh impetus to the ongoing debate on the likelihood of transporting timber over long distances within and between Roman provinces. This study reconstructs the administrative and logistic efforts required to transport high-quality construction timber from central Europe to Rome. It also highlights an advanced network of trade, and emphasises the enormous value of oak wood in Roman times.

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

“…The third species, representing timber imported from Turkey and used for warehouse planks, is Quercus spp. Deciduous oaks are one of the most commonly approached tree types in dendroarchaeology not only because they are ideal for dendrochronology, but also because they have been widely used in different types of constructions since prehistoric times, thanks to the mechanical properties of their wood [51] being stronger, harder, and much more durable than other commonly used species in constructions [52].…”

“…In the windmills, apart from the Turkish originated timber, fir probably originating from the Alps was also identified. Abies alba has been one of the most preferred tree species for the construction of buildings since the antiquity [52] due to its good cleavability and durability, especially under humid conditions [53]. Silver fir timber was especially popular during the 19th century [54,55], and it has been already suggested that timber trade existed between the Aegean Islands that were then part of the Ottoman Empire and Central Europe [6].…”

Dendroarchaeology in Europe

“…Political and administrative efficiency led to high building activities and consequently to large amounts of archaeological wood for the 1st to 3rd century CE for many central European laboratories (Hollstein, 1980;Nicolussi, 1998a,b;Herzig and Berg-Hobohm, 2010;Benguerel et al, 2012;Herzig et al, 2013;Bernard et al, 2014;Čufar et al, 2014;Jansma et al, 2014;Tegel et al, 2016b;Jansma, 2020). The highly developed trade networks and the rising urban development triggered new dimensions of forest resource exploitation (Bernabei et al, 2019). Socio-economic decline at the end of the Roman Empire is reflected by a decrease in building activity and therefore, a limited number of dendroarchaeological evidence in the late 4th and 5th centuries CE (Rzepecki et al, 2019).…”

The Wooden Roof Framing Elements, Furniture and Furnishing of the Etruscan Domus of the Dolia of Vetulonia (Southern Tuscany, Italy)

“…Numerous studies have attested to the use of oak wood for building during Italian prehistory [56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63], as well as for the historical periods [64,65]. The widespread use of deciduous and semideciduous oak wood for the beams, rafters, columns and boards of many Roman buildings, as well as for the construction of naval frames, demonstrate the extent to which Romans appreciated this wood for construction purposes [66][67][68][69][70]. Concerning the Etruscan world, the most interesting parallel is the Etruscan Farm of Pian d'Alma (Tuscany) [10].…”

“…Evergreen oak wood has been well known since antiquity [66], especially by Romans, who largely used it for the manufacture of objects and furniture. This type of wood has also been used for the covering of sophisticated furniture, given its qualities [64,65,81].…”