Time, trees, and prehistory

by Stephen Edward Nash

Dendrochronology, the science of assigning precise calendar dates to annual growth rings in trees, emerged to provide accurate, reliable dates at a time when North American archaeologists had no absolute dating techniques to frame their analyses. Time, Trees, and Prehistory examines the growth, development, and application of North American tree-ring dating when it was the only reliable chronometric yardstick. Time, Trees, and Prehistory examines archaeological practices of the 1920s, 30s, and 40s and demonstrates that tree-ring dating set the stage that enabled revolutionary developments in archaeological interpretation in succeeding decades.