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Cited by 16Archaeology and ancient environmental studiesTree-ring climate responsesGeology and Paleoclimatology Research

Discovery of annual growth in a modern olive branch based on carbon isotopes and implications for the Bronze Age volcanic eruption of Santorini

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Ehrlich, Yael, Regev, Lior, Boaretto, Elisabetta·2021·Scientific Reports
DOI 10.1038/s41598-020-79024-4PMC PMC7804959
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Abstract

The volcanic eruption of Santorini in the Bronze Age left detectable debris across the Mediterranean, serving as an anchor in time for the region, synchronizing chronologies of different sites. However, dating the eruption has been elusive for decades, as radiocarbon indicates a date about a century earlier than archaeological chronologies. The identification of annual rings by CT in a charred olive branch, buried alive beneath the tephra on Santorini, was key in radiocarbon dating the eruption. Here, we detect a verified annual growth in a modern olive branch for the first time, using stable isotope analysis and high-resolution radiocarbon dating, identifying down to the growing season in some years. The verified growth is largely visible by CT, both in the branch’s fresh and charred forms. Although these results support the validity of the Santorini branch date, we observed some chronological anomalies in modern olive and simulated possible date range scenarios of the volcanic eruption of Santorini, given these observed phenomena. The results offer a way to reconcile this long-standing debate towards a mid-sixteenth century BCE date.

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  • The difference between dataset (a) and dataset (c) contradicts suggestions of a substantial missing period of time between the last dated olive-wood segments found on Thera and the time of the eruption.

    “and suggestions of a substantial missing period of time between the last dated olive-wood segments found on Thera and the time of the eruption [147].”

    From Second Intermediate Period date for the Thera (Santorini) eruption and historical implications (2022) · cites this paper as [147]

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Ehrlich, Y., Regev, L., & Boaretto, E.
Affiliations
Weizmann Institute of Science (IL)
Corresponding author
Boaretto, Elisabetta
ORCID
Venue
Scientific Reports
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2021-01-12
Volume
11
Issue
1
Pages
704-704
ISSN
2045-2322 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1038/s41598-020-79024-4
PMC
PMC7804959
OpenAlex
W3120133137
Cited by
16
References
12
Citations by year
2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 2
FWCI
2.82
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Scientific Reports (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
Weizmann Institute of Science
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Tree-ring climate responses
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
Keywords
Santorini eruption, Bronze Age, olive branch, annual growth rings, carbon isotopes, radiocarbon dating, tephra, eruption chronology, chronology synchronization, charred wood, computed tomography, Minoan eruption

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