The underground forest: Tracing forest history in the Erzgebirge through the wood finds from the medieval silver mines of Dippoldiswalde

Abstract

The medieval silver rush profoundly impacted the landscape and vegetation of Europe’s mining regions, a phenomenon strikingly illustrated by the exceptionally well-preserved silver mines discovered in Dippoldiswalde (Eastern Erzgebirge/Saxony) in 2009. This study analyses over 2000 wooden finds collected in those mines, including 1183 specimens that help date the mining activities from the second half of the 12th century to the late 13th century, utilising dendrochronological techniques. Our extensive dendro-dataset provides a valuable resource for exploring various aspects, such as landscape and climatic change, the effects of mining on primary forests, and the selective use of wood in mining processes. The timber reveals new insights not only into previously unknown mining technologies but also into the primeval forest and early forest use.

Initially, miners exploited the forest non-selectively. As a result, early timber use provides important insights into the composition of primeval Fagus-Abies forests that once covered the region. By the 12th century, extensive timber use began to emerge, eventually leading to the complete deforestation of large areas in the mining regions of the Erzgebirge in the Middle Ages. This study underscores the valuable potential of dendrochronologically dating all available archaeological wood, rather than just selected samples, for advancing research in the fields of environmental history and medieval mining.