Ljubljana Moor is our the most important location where larger amounts of wood from the past are preserved underwater or buried in ground. Veluscek (1999) reports on remains of over 40 prehistoric pile dwellings from the cooper age (Eneolit). They existed between 3500 and 2500 BC.

Our work is focused towards dendrochronological investigations of archaeological wood. Systematic collecting of wood for research started in 1995. Dr. Anton Veluscek from the Institute of Archaeology SRC SAAS coordinates the work.

In the last years we investigated wood from 10 pile dwellings. The picture presents their position on the map of Ljubljana Moor.

Remains of pile dwellings that existed in the same time as those in the Ljubljana Moor, have been found in all Alpine countries.

The wood is generally preserved underwater (for example in the river Iscica) or buried in the soil.

The wood is often found during different activities, like cleaning of the drainage ditches. After exposure to air it decays rapidly.

Rescue excavations in the ditches are important to obtain wood for research. In the Ljubljana Moor we mainly found remains of vertical piles.

Samples of wood prepared for laboratory analyses. On smooth surfaces we can observe wood structure and identify wood species. We can also observe the tree-rings. The structure of the rings represents an archive of past events, that affected growth of a tree.

Picture shows samples of ash-wood (Fraxinus sp.). This is the most frequent wood species from our prehistoric pile dwellings.

Larger stems (>14 cm) were split along the tree axis.

Picture shows samples of oak (Quercus sp.) also an important wood species in the Ljubljana Moor.

Structural details can be observed on thin slides with help of a microscope.

In the remains of the dwellings we can often find large number of piles from trees cut in the same calendar year.

We select samples for radiocarbon dating.

Radiocarbon dating of our samples was done by Dr. Bern Kromer and his team from the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences - Radiometische Altersbestimmung von Wasser und Sedimenten, Heidelberg, Germany.

Graph showing time spans of tree-ring series. The picture shows that several trees have been cut in the same year. Most of the trees were cut in relative years 187 and 232.

A plan of the dwelling with coordinates of all wooden remains. The distribution of piles from the same period helps to reconstruct ground plans of the buildings. The picture shows the older (top) and the younger (below) part of the dwelling.

The piles found on the same place often originate from different periods.

Dendrochronologically investigated pile dwellings existed between 4000 BC and 2500 BC. The dating is based on dendrochronology and radiocarbon analyses.

1. ČUFAR, Katarina, LEVANIČ, Tom, VELUŠČEK, Anton. Dendrokronološke raziskave na kolišču Založnica in Parte = Dendrochronological investigations in the pile dwellings Založnica and Parte from the Ljubljana moor. Arheol. vestn., 1997, vol. 48, 15-26.

2. ČUFAR, Katarina, LEVANIČ, Tom, VELUŠCEK, Anton, KROMER, Bernd. First chronologies of the Eneolithic pile dwellings from the Ljubljana Moor, Slovenia. Dendrochronologia (Verona), 1997, vol. 15, 39-50.

3. ČUFAR, Katarina, LEVANIČ, Tom, VELUŠCEK, Anton. Dendrokronološke raziskave na koliščih Spodnje mostišče 1 in 2 ter Hočevarica = Dendrochronological investigations in the pile dwellings Spodnje Mostišce 1 and 2 and Hočevarica from the Ljubljana moor, Slovenia. Arheol. vestn., 1998, let. 49, 75-92.

4. ČUFAR, Katarina, LEVANIČ, Tom. Progress of dendrochronological research in Slovenia. Dendrochronologia (Verona), 1998-1999, 16/17, 173-181.

5. ČUFAR, Katarina, LEVANIČ, Tom, VELUŠČEK, Anton. Dendrokronološke raziskave na kolišču Parte - Išcica, Ljubljansko barje, Slovenija = Dendrochronological investigations in the pile dwelling Parte - Išcica, Ljubljana moor, Slovenia. Zb. gozd. lesar., 1999, vol. 58, 165-188.

6. VELUŠČEK, Anton, ČUFAR, Katarina, LEVANIČ, Tom. Parte-Iščica, arheološke in dendrokronološke raziskave. Arheol. vestn., 2000, vol. 51, 83-107.

7. VELUŠČEK, Anton, ČUFAR, Katarina. Dendrokronološke raziskave kolišč na Ljubljanskem barju - stanje 2001. Arheol. vestn., 2002, vol. 53, str. 59-67.

8. ČUFAR, Katarina, TIŠLER, Vesna, GORIŠEK, Željko. Arheološki les - njegove lastnosti in raziskovalni potencial. Arheol. vestn., 2002, vol. 53, str. 69-76.

9. VELUŠČEK, Anton, ČUFAR, Katarina. Založnica pri Kamniku pod Krimom na Ljubljanskem barju - naselbina kulture Somogyvár-Vinkovci. Arheol. vestn., 2003, vol. 54, 123-158.

10. ČUFAR, Katarina, VELUŠČEK, Anton. Dendrokronološke raziskave na Založnici - najmlajši znani bakrenodobni koliščarski naselbini na Ljubljanskem barju. Zb. gozd. lesar., 2003, vol. 71, 137-158.