Ancient Hazelnuts are Being Used by Archaeologists to Reconstruct Prehistoric Woodlands

By Good News Network -Mar 31, 2024



By Nils Forshed, via Dr. Karl Ljung / Lund University / SWNS

Scientists have devised a method of analyzing preserved hazelnut shells to find out what the habitat was like in prehistoric times.

The Oxford University team note that their research could show not only what a local environment looked like thousands of years ago—whether sites were heavily forested or open and pasture-like—but also how humans may have impacted their habitats over time.

The scientists gathered hazelnuts from trees growing in varying light levels at three locations in southern Sweden, and analyzed their carbon quantities and the relationship between these values and the light levels the trees were exposed to.

They then investigated the carbon values of hazelnut shells from archaeological sites also found in southern Sweden.

More:
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/hazelnuts-being-used-by-archaeologists-to-reconstruct-ancient-woodlands/