Developing tree ring chronologies from New Zealand matai (Prumnopitys taxifolia (D.Don) Laub.) for archaeological dating: Stable isotope dendrochronology |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Geography, Swansea University Prifysgol Abertawe, UK;2. School of Environment, The University of Auckland Waipapa Taumata Rau, Aotearoa New Zealand;3. Natural Resources Finland (LUKE), Helsinki, Finland;4. School of Science, University of Waikato Te Whare Wananga o Waikato, Aotearoa New Zealand |
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Abstract: | Aotearoa New Zealand has a rich cultural heritage but dating wooden objects using classic dendrochronology is challenging due to a paucity of master tree-ring width chronologies for species commonly identified in the archaeological record. This paper explores the potential for using a stable isotopic approach to dendrochronology for matai (Prumnopitys taxifolia (D.Don) Laub.). A total of six annual stable oxygen isotope (δ18O) series for matai growing in the Pureora Forest Reserve, were analysed and their oxygen isotopes found to exhibit a level of coherence that enabled cross-dating. A provisional chronology covering the period 1930–2018 CE was developed and tested against a sample of matai from the Kauaeranga Valley (200 km to the north of Pureora) and a sample of miro (Prumnopitys ferruginea (D.Don) Laub.). Miro is another species common in the cultural archive, but also difficult to date using ring-width dendrochronology. Both the Kaueranga matai and Pureora miro samples cross matched against the site chronology at the correct position, but with weaker dating statistics (Student’s t: 4.26 and 4.11 respectively) compared to the results obtained for two (non-2019) sampled Pureora matai analysed in this study (Student's t: 6.80 and 5.66). These results nevertheless demonstrate the presence of a regional-scale dating signal which may be developed for future use as a precision dating tool. |
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Keywords: | Matai Miro Aotearoa Oxygen isotope |
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