Humans, forests, and timber production in southern Italy 2000 years ago: Insights from Herculaneum on the unknown “Wood Age”

Abstract

The city of Herculaneum (Naples, southern Italy), buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79, is a key site for understanding the relationship between man and forest timber economy during the Roman period. This is possible thanks to the large amount of wood samples, both charred and waterlogged, which belong to building structures as well as furniture. Our work consisted both in a review of published data and in the identification of 62 new waterlogged wood remains. The literature permitted to collect information on various types of building elements and wooden furniture. In total, 641 samples (charcoal and waterlogged wood) were counted. Softwood is by far the preferred timber for both building purposes and furniture. Abies alba Mill. is especially used, this fact suggesting a more important role played by this species in southern Italian forests during the recent Holocene; its decline is probably due to the overexploitation characteristic of the Roman period. The significant presence of Cupressus sempervirens L., mainly used for poles production, confirms that this tree was cultivated in plantations for timber production in the Vesuvius area. The presence of Picea abies (L.) H. Karst indicates the importation of timber from the Alps. Regarding wood for furniture, despite the abundance of artifacts, available data are too limited to perceive specific uses for furniture. Finally, the low percentages of deciduous Quercus, Castanea sativa Mill. and Fagus sylvatica L. suggest that their use was reserved for other purposes.