Course Description
Introduction and training in dendrochronology (tree-ring dating) methods and overview of the tree-ring record's interdisciplinary applications in archaeology, art history, climate, and ecology. Includes lecture and hands-on activities using ancient to modern wood samples from UGA Tree-Ring and Wood Analysis Lab research projects around the world.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will write a longer final paper on a topic in dendrochronology. Their analysis and presentation of discussion topics will be thoughtful and thorough reflections commensurate with their educational background.
Athena Title
Dendrochronology
Prerequisite
ANTH 1102 or ANTH 1102E or ANTH 2120H or BIOL 1108L or BIOL 2108L or PBIO 1210 or GEOG 1111L or GEOG 2110L or GEOL 1122 or GEOL 1122H or CLAS(ANTH) 3015 or CLAS(ANTH) 3015E or CLAS 4170/6170 or CLAS 4185/6185 or ECOL 1000 or permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
1. Describe the basic principles and techniques of tree-ring dating. 2. Identify and describe basic components of wood cellular anatomy, their physiological function, and how this shapes dendrochronological methods and applications. 3. Describe the basic physiological processes of tree-ring growth and how they are affected by climate and environment. 4. Define and describe how tree-ring growth, chemistry, and anatomy provide proxy evidence of past climate, ecological processes, and human-environment interactions. 5. Explore and evaluate how tree-ring analysis methods and datasets are used in different research disciplines, including ecology, climatology, terrestrial and maritime archaeology, and art history. 6. Identify and compare the strengths and weaknesses of tree-rings as a dating tool and paleoclimate and environmental proxy. 7. Compare and contrast dendrochronology and other scientific dating methods (radiocarbon, varves, ice cores, sclerochronology), and how different dating techniques may be used to refine, calibrate, or interrogate one another. 8. Relate tree-ring data and evidence from archaeological and cultural heritage sites to human activities and the use of forest resources. 9. Examine how dendrochronological data are collected and applied in different climate and environmental zones and heritage sites around the world. 10. Develop analytical skills in reviewing primary scientific literature in the field of dendrochronology. 11. Practice oral communication skills by presenting and leading in-class discussions on published tree-ring research.
Topical Outline
1. Introduction: what is dendrochronology? Overview of its interdisciplinary applications and significance 2. History and evolution of the field 3. Basic principles and methods of tree-ring dating and chronology building 4. Basics of tree-ring growth processes and wood cellular anatomy 5. Dendrochronology in art history and cultural heritage studies 6. Dendrochemistry: principles, methods, applications 7. Dendroecology 1: reconstructing forest ecological histories, human-environmental interactions, and forest management 8. Dendroecology 2: reconstructing disturbances (insect outbreaks, forest fires, environmental pollution) 9. Paleotempestology: reconstructing natural disasters with dendrochronology 10. Dendrochronology and other scientific dating methods 1: radiocarbon dating and tree-rings 11. Dendrochronology and other scientific dating methods 2: ice cores, varves, sclerochronology 12. Maritime archaeology and dendrochronology 13. Dendrochronology and climate: methods and applications in reconstructing climate and understanding the Anthropocene 14. Dendrochronology and Mediterranean history and archaeology 15. Dendrochronology and archaeology in the Southeast U.S.