Dendrochronology - ever heard of it? / myLot

Rockingham, Australia

July 4, 2026 7:51pm CST

The not-for-profit group, Music for Canberra, has been gifted an intriguing violin which could turn out to be very valuable. In the middle of the article, is a paragraph or two about dendrochronology. Dendrochronology is the science of cross-referencing wood grain patterns against regional databases. Using high-resolution photography and new technology, experts can now pinpoint a region, an era and even a particular forest that a wood has come from. Is there nothing these scientists can’t do? The horsehair used in a bow can also be traced back to a particular region. Horsehair from Mongolia or Siberia is particularly favoured. Because of the coldness of these areas, the hair is thicker and more suited to bow-making. That’s my quota of new learning for the day. Two things I’ve learned. I’ve excelled myself.

The photo is mine.

10 people like this

9 responses

Anna

@LadyDuck (503890)

• Italy

I learnt about dendrochronology when we were vacationing in the Dolomite with my parents. I remember the local elders who can pretty well judge the age of a cut tree without the need of instruments. May be they were not very precise, but surely very close.

2 people like this

show previous comments

Anna

@LadyDuck (503890)

• Italy

@JudyEv Everything is more precise and sophisticated in our days. They are also checking the exact heights of the mountains now, that is really not so much different from the ancient numbers we had, only a few centimeters.

1 person likes this

Judy Evans

@JudyEv (383958)

• Rockingham, Australia

I know you can count the rings to age a tree but they have much more specific tests now. That would have been interesting learning about it at the time.

2 people like this

Show more comments

Scott Ganschow

@teamfreak16 (44036)

• Denver, Colorado

14h

And the extent of my knowledge is that they use horsehair for bows. I never thought horses from different regions would be different. Interesting, and makes sense.

1 person likes this

Judy Evans

@JudyEv (383958)

• Rockingham, Australia

At least one of the British pony breeds has a sort of moustache which protects them from prickly vegetation. I've seen it on other horses too from time to time.

1 person likes this

Scott Ganschow

@teamfreak16 (44036)

• Denver, Colorado

30m

@JudyEv - Huh. Never seen a horse with a stash!

Amber

@AmbiePam (122270)

• United States

13h

That’s so cool!

1 person likes this

Judy Evans

@JudyEv (383958)

• Rockingham, Australia

It's amazing that they can pinpoint the forest. We've become very clever in some areas, haven't we?

1 person likes this

snowy

@snowy22315 (210121)

• United States

Cute photo I thought it had something to do with trees.

1 person likes this

Judy Evans

@JudyEv (383958)

• Rockingham, Australia

I'd never heard the word before or even anything like it.

1 person likes this

Four Walls

@FourWalls (87440)

• United States

12h

Wow. You’re right, the details of dating things based on things that the general public would never know is amazing. I know people who have that “knack” for knowing about instruments and their origins, but personally, I just like the sound of the instruments.