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The former Spanish Netherlands experienced a period of social, cultural and economic prosperity in the seventeenth century, with Antwerp as its most important commercial and artistic centre. The era’s vibrant art scene, once pivotal culturally, economically, and diplomatically, now offers invaluable insights for scientific studies on art, trade, and craftsmanship. In a study on 294 panel paintings by or related to two famous Flemish artists, Jacques Jordaens (1593–1678) and Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641), we applied classical art historical techniques, archival research, dendrochronology, and the study of panel maker’s and guild marks on the painting’s reverse to gain insights into the precise time of tree felling, the geographical provenance of the wood, and the panel makers patronised by the painters. The majority of the paintings (~ 80%), which were subjected to a dendrochronological analysis, could be dated and the results accorded well with the concomitant art historical assessment on authorship. Besides an active and well-known Baltic timber trade which provided over 71% of all the planks examined, straight-grained oak trees were also sourced from western Central Europe (20%). Interestingly, planks from the Baltic and the Ardennes region (France/Belgium) were used together in three different paintings, likely cut apart from larger panels. Employing a multidisciplinary approach to a comprehensive painting collection by individual painters provides not only a new tool to determine a painting’s date and authorship but also allows for a better understanding of the contemporary timber trade and associated craftsmanship.

We present an annually resolved reconstruction of spring-summer precipitation variability in East Anglia, UK (52–53°N, 0–2°E) for the period AD 900–2009. A continuous regional network of 723 living (AD 1590–2009) and historical (AD 781–1790) oak ( Quercus sp.) ring-width series has been constructed and shown to display significant sensitivity to precipitation variability during the March-July season. The existence of a coherent common growth signal is demonstrated in oaks growing across East Anglia, containing evidence of near-decadal aperiodic variability in precipitation throughout the last millennium. Positive correlations are established between oak growth and precipitation variability across a large region of northwest Europe, although climate-growth relationships appear time transgressive with correlations significantly weakening during the early twentieth century. Examination of the relationship between oak growth, precipitation, and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), reveals no evidence that the NAO plays any significant role in the control of precipitation or tree growth in this region. Using Regional Curve Standardisation to preserve evidence of low-frequency growth variability in the East Anglian oak chronology, we produce a millennial length reconstruction that is capable of explaining 32–35% of annual-to-decadal regional-scale precipitation variance during 1901–2009. The full length reconstruction indicates statistically significant anomalous dry conditions during AD 900–1100 and circa-1800. An apparent prolonged wetter phase is estimated for the twelfth and thirteen centuries, whilst precipitation fluctuates between wetter and drier phases at near centennial timescales throughout the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries. Above average precipitation reconstructed for the twenty-first century is comparable with that reproduced for the 1600s. The main estimated wet and dry phases reconstructed here appear largely coherent with an independent tree-ring reconstruction for southern-central England.

Since 1998 archaeological investigations on Holme-next-the-Sea beach have recorded the waterlogged remains of two Bronze Age timber circles, timber structures, coppiced trees, metal objects, and salt- and freshwater marshes. The second timber circle (Holme II) is only the third waterlogged structure of its type to be discovered in Britain and only the second to be dated by dendrochronology. The felling of timbers used in Holme II has been dated to the spring or summer of 2049 bc , exactly the time as the felling of the timbers used to build the first circle (Holme I). This shared date provides the only known example of two adjacent monuments constructed at precisely the same time in British prehistory. It also informs comparisons between Holme II and other British timber circles and therefore helps develop interpretations. This paper suggests Holme II was a mortuary monument directly related to the use of Holme I. Second cercle de bois, sentiers et taillis sur la plage de Holme-next-the-Sea, Norfolk: utilisation des marais d’eau de mer et d’eau douce à l’âge du bronze, de David Robertson Depuis 1998 des recherches archéologiques sur la plage de Holme-next-the-Sea ont répertorié les vestiges saturés d’eau de deux cercles de bois de l’âge du bronze, des structures en bois, des taillis des objets en métal et des marais d’eau salée et d’eau douce. Le second cercle de bois (Holme II) n’est que la troisième structure saturée d’eau de ce type à avoir été découverte en Grande-Bretagne et seulement la seconde à être datée par dendrochronologie. La coupe des bois utilisés dans Holme II a été datée du printemps ou de l’été de 2049 av. J.-C., le moment exact de l’abattage des bois utilisés pour construire le premier cercle (Holme I). Cette date commune fournit le seul exemple connu de deux monuments adjacents construits à précisément la même période de la préhistoire britannique Ce qui nous éclaire aussi sur les comparaisons entre Holme II et les autres cercles de bois britanniques et donc facilite le développement d’interprétations. Cet article suggère que Holme II était un monument mortuaire directement lié à l’utilisation de Holme I. Ein zweiter Holzkreis, Wege, und Niederwaldwirtschaft am Strand von Holme-next-the-Sea, Norfolk: Die Nutzung von Salzwasser- und Süßwassermarschen in der Bronzezeit, von David Robertson Seit 1998 wurden bei archäologischen Untersuchungen am Strand bei Holme-next-the-Sea die durch Feuchterhaltung konservierten Überreste von zwei bronzezeitlichen Holzkreisen, weiteren hölzernen Strukturen, auf Stockausschlag gesetzten Bäumen sowie Metallobjekte und Salzwasser- und Süßwassermarschen dokumentiert. Der zweite Holzkreis (Holme II) ist erst der dritte Nassholzbefund dieser Art, der in Großbritannien entdeckt wurde, und erst der zweite, der dendrochronologisch datiert wurde. Das Fällen der für Holme II genutzten Stämme wurde auf den Frühling oder Sommer 2049 BC datiert, was genau der Zeit entspricht, zu der die Hölzer für den ersten Kreis (Holme I) gefällt wurden. Diese übereinstimmenden Daten stellen das einzige bekannte Beispiel der britischen Vorgeschichte dar für zwei benachbarte Monumente, die zu genau der gleichen Zeit errichtet wurden. Sie helfen auch beim Vergleich von Holme II mit anderen britischen Holzkreisen und somit auch bei der Ausarbeitung von Interpretationen. Dieser Beitrag diskutiert, dass Holmes II ein Begräbnismonument war, das unmittelbar verknüpft mit der Nutzung von Holme I war. Un segundo círculo de madera, senderos y trasmochos en la playa de Holme-next-the Sea, Norfolk: el uso de humedales salinos y dulces en la Edad del Bronce, por David Robertson Desde 1998 las investigaciones arqueológicas desarrolladas en Holme-next-the-Sea han documentado los restos anegados de dos círculos de madera de la Edad del Bronce, estructuras de madera, árboles trasmochos, objetos de metal y humedales de agua dulce y salada. El segundo círculo de madera (Holme II) constituye la tercera estructura sumergida de este tipo que se ha descubierto en Inglaterra y la segunda que ha sido datada por dendrocronología. La tala de los troncos empleados en Holme II ha sido datada en la primera o el verano del 2049 BC, exactamente el mismo momento en el que se produjo la tala de las maderas empleadas en la construcción del primer círculo (Holme I). Esta datación compartida proporciona el único caso conocido en la Prehistoria Británica de dos monumentos adyacentes construidos precisamente en el mismo momento. También permite comparar Holme II con otros círculos de madera británicos y ayuda a desarrollar interpretaciones. Este artículo sugiere que Holme II constituyó un monumento funerario directamente relacionado con el uso de Holme I.

Between 2006 and 2009 Worcestershire Archaeology completed a series of investigations in advance of quarrying at Clifton Quarry, Worcestershire revealing one of the most important sequences of prehistoric to early medieval activity discovered to date from the Central Severn Valley. Well-preserved palaeoenvironmental deposits were recovered from features and associated abandoned channels of the River Severn. Analysis of this evidence is underpinned by a comprehensive program of scientific dating, providing a record of changing patterns of landuse and activity from the Late Mesolithic onwards. Significant discoveries included a series of Grooved Ware pits and an extensive area of Early to Middle Iron Age activity. One of the Grooved pits was of particular importance as it contained an exceptionally rich material assemblage comprising two whole and four fragmentary polished axes, numerous flint tools and debitage, significant quantities of Durrington Walls and Clacton Style pottery, and abundant charred barley grains and crab apple fragments. The Early to Middle Iron Age activity was notable as, unusual for a lowland site, it was dominated by in excess of 100 four-post granary structures and 130 pits. The full extent of the activity was not established but it appears unenclosed and it is suggested that this represents the specialized storage zone of a much larger settlement. Phases of activity on the floodplain and terraces adjacent to the river also included a Bronze Age burnt mound with associated pits and a trough, a scatter of Romano-British features, and an early medieval timber-lined structure associated with flax retting.

Dendrochronology can provide more than datings. A lot of additional information can be obtained from the samples: the most obvious concerns the quality of the timber and information about conversion of timber etc. In favourable cases dendrochronology also provides information about the origin o f the wood – where the trees grew, i.e. the provenance of the wood. The question of provenance of the wood – or timber, which is the term we ought to use – is of extreme importance in dendrochronological research on old shipwrecks and on wooden artifacts. Often the place where a large sea going ship was built will

New work at the late Roman fort at Pevensey has recovered oak foundation piles. The precision of a tree-ring date for them is occasion to look again at the pattern of coastal forts of which Pevensey is a part.