RECORDING AND RECONSTRUCTION OF WOOD MACROFOSSILS IN 3-DIMENSIONS

Building on an upsurge of interest in European wetland archaeology, wh ich has led to methodological advances in field techniques, a new pala eoecological technique is outlined to enable reconstruction of wood ma crofossils in their original in situ positions within a peat deposit. Such three-dimensional reconstruction provides data on the temporal se quence and succession of mire woodland phases; these can be related to the fossil pollen record and to evidence of past human impact. Chrono logy building using tree ring-width series, is facilitated, and may as sist in dating site records. The technique has wider application at si tes where subfossiliferous peat is underlain by sand substrates, aidin g palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and interpretation of the cultura l landscape. (C) 1995 Academic Press Limited