Subfossil Abies alba stems from the 5th millennium BC

Čufar, Katarina (author), Balzano, Angela (author), Krapež, Daša (author), Krže, Luka (author), Velušček, Anton (author), Merela, Maks (author)

Subfossil stems of silver fir (Abies alba) trees buried in wet soil were discovered in the Čadrg area above Tolmin, Slovenia. Dendrochronological analysis showed that the five studied trees were large and old, having grown in optimal conditions (maximum diameter and age over 80 cm and 187 years). The radiocarbon dates of the last tree rings below the bark of three trees were 4660 ± 64 cal BC (2σ), 4524 ± 64 cal BC (2σ), and 4272 ± 46 cal BC (1σ), and two tree-ring chronologies for the periods 4831–4524 and 4367–4272 cal BC were compiled. Light microscopy confirmed that the wood is mostly fairly well preserved, but there are areas in the wood where the cell walls are in various stages of decay caused by erosion bacteria. We discuss the significance of the subfossil trees for palaeoecology, archaeology, at the end of the Neolithic and the beginning of the Copper Age and to prolong the silver fir chronologies for Slovenia and Central Europe.

• Language: English
• Keywords: navadna jelka = Abies alba, Čadrg, Slovenija, subfosilni les, dendrokronologija, radiokarbonsko datiranje, svetlobna mikroskopija, 5. tisočletje pr. Kr.
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 01.01.2025
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 19-34
• Numbering: Let. 74, št. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-177618
• UDC: 630*561.24
• ISSN on article: 2590-9932
• DOI: 10.26614/les-wood.2025.v74n02a03
• COBISS.SI-ID: 261468419
• Publication date in RUL: 29.12.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Les
• Publisher: Biotehniška fakulteta, Oddelek za lesarstvo, Biotehniška fakulteta, Oddelek za lesarstvo, Založba Univerze
• ISSN: 2590-9932
• COBISS.SI-ID: 290940672

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Subfosilna debla navadne jelke iz 5. tisočletja pr. Kr.

Abstract

Na območju Čadrga nad Tolminom so odkrili subfosilna debla navadne jelke (Abies alba), zakopana v mokrih tleh. Dendrokronološke raziskave so pokazale, da je bilo 5 raziskanih dreves velikih in starih in da so rasla v ugodnih razmerah (največji premer in starost nad 80 cm in 187 let). Radiokarbonski datumi zadnjih branik pod skorjo 3 dreves so bili: 4660 ± 64 kal. pr. Kr. (2σ), 4524 ± 64 kal. pr. Kr. (2σ) in 4272 ± 46 kal. pr. Kr. (1σ). Sestavljeni sta bili tudi dve kronologiji širin branik za obdobji okoli 4831–4524 pr. Kr. in 4367–4272 kal. pr. Kr. Svetlobna mikroskopija je potrdila, da je subfosilni les razmeroma dobro ohranjen, vendar ima območja, kjer so celične stene v različnih fazah bakterijskega razkroja. Predstavljamo pomen subfosilnih jelk za paleo-ekologijo, arheologijo, opredeljeno s koncem mlajše kamene dobe in začetkom bakrene dobe, ter za podaljšanje kronologij jelke v Sloveniji in srednji Evropi.

• Keywords: silver fir = Abies alba, Čadrg, subfossil wood, dendrochronology, radiocarbon dating, light microscopy, 5th millennium BC

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P4-0015-2020
• Name: Les in lignocelulozni kompoziti

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P6-0064-2015
• Name: Arheološke raziskave