Unveiling the past through dendrochronology: Late Roman architecture in I<SUP>•</SUP>stanbul
DENDROCHRONOLOGIA, vol.97, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Publication Type: Article / Article
- Volume: 97
- Publication Date: 2026
- Doi Number: 10.1016/j.dendro.2026.126540
- Journal Name: DENDROCHRONOLOGIA
- Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, BIOSIS, Geobase
- Istanbul University Affiliated: No
Abstract
Excavations around the main train station at Haydarpas & cedil; a in the Kad & imath;ko & uml;y district on the Asian side of I(center dot)stanbul uncovered a T-shaped structure previously attributed to the Roman period. Dendrochronological analysis of six oak (Quercus sect. Quercus) beams from the structure revealed a surprisingly early construction date of 369CE, much earlier than previously assumed. Short tree-ring series were successfully integrated to build a robust chronology and were cross-dated against the established Yenikap & imath; oak master chronology. These findings not only provide the first firm evidence for a Late Roman building in this part of I(center dot)stanbul but also strengthen the Late Roman and Early Byzantine dendrochronological framework for T & uuml;rkiye. A mean chronology constructed for Haydarpas & cedil; a, termed HYP, was used to date another set of samples from the excavation area in Aksaray, on the European side of I(center dot)stanbul. There, wooden samples collected from the basement of a structure were dated to 340CE, and another mean chronology, named SMI24, was developed for this site. The results of this study highlight the potential of integrating archaeological excavations and dendrochronology as a powerful approach to uncovering previously unrecognized aspects of early urban history.