The first in Russia long 377-year tree-ring chronology based on charcoals from ancient Altai iron-smelting furnaces (mountains of Southern Siberia)

Charcoal is a common material for radiocarbon dating and is underestimated as an object of dendrochronological analysis – a method that allows dating natural and historical-archaeological events with an accuracy of up to a year. The new approach to charcoal sample preparation developed by the authors removes previously existing restrictions on the use of this fragile material in dendrochronological studies and allows it to be used as an effective source of information in paleoecology, paleoclimatology, paleogeography and archaeology. Applying this approach, a 377-year tree-ring chronology was constructed using archaeological coals from ancient iron-smelting furnaces in the Chuya-Kurai ferrous metallurgy province of the Russian Altai. This is the first tree-ring chronology of charcoal in Russia and the longest in the world dendrochronological practice. Its further analysis will provide new information about the nature and archaeological events of the high mountain region located in the center of Eurasia.