树木年轮学在考古学中的应用述评

A Review of the Application of Dendrochronology in Archaeology

木材是人类的重要资源,作为薪材和加工材料在古人的生产与生活中发挥了关键作用。对考古遗址中出土的木炭、干木材与饱水木材等遗存进行树木年轮学研究,可为文化遗存的年代、气候环境变迁与木材利用等研究提供独特的视角。文中梳理了树木年轮学在考古学中应用的相关研究,从木材遗存的定年、碳十四年代校正、历史气候与环境考古、森林开发与木材利用史以及新技术发展5个方面介绍了国际上树轮考古学的研究前沿,结合国内树轮考古学的现状对其研究趋势进行预测,并提出发展建议。

Wood is an important resource for human beings and plays a key role in production and human life as fuelwood and source material. The dendrochronological study of wood remains such as charcoal, dry wood and waterlogged wood unearthed in archaeological sites can provide a unique perspective for the dating of cultural remains, climate change and wood utilization. This paper summarizes the related research on the application of dendrochronology in archaeology, and introduces the research frontiers of international dendroarchaeology in the world from the five aspects of dating of wood artifacts, calibration of radiocarbon ages, palaeoclimatology and environmental archaeology, history of forest development and wood utilization,and new technologies development. Based on the current situation of dendroarchaeology in China, the future research trend and prospects are predicted, and relevant development suggestions are proposed.