Tracing the Historical Charcoal Production in Rudnik Mountain, Central Serbia: First Anthracological Results

Andonova-Katsarski, Mila and Nelle, Oliver and Vranić, Mirko and Fostikov, Aleksandra (2026) Tracing the Historical Charcoal Production in Rudnik Mountain, Central Serbia: First Anthracological Results. In: 32nd EAA Annual Meeting (Athens, 2026) – Abstract Book. European Association of Archaeologists. ISBN 978-80-88441-12-0

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Abstract

This study presents preliminary results from anthracological material collected during a field survey of charcoal production sites conducted in 2025 on Rudnik Mountain, Šumadija District, Central Serbia. The Rudnik area has a long and well-documented history of metallurgical activity, extending back to the Roman, Medieval and Ottoman periods and up to the present. However, comparatively little is known about the wood charcoal resources that supported this industry. This knowledge gap provided the primary motivation for undertaking a targeted field survey as part of the COST action 22155 “EU-PoTaRCh” (Network for forest by-products charcoal, resin, tar, potash) and informed by historical and ethnographic sources. One of the surveyed localities, situated southeast of the village of Majdan, was identified as a former charcoal production area, as also indicated by the toponym Ćumurana (kömür for “charcoal”). The site features platforms interpreted as construction surfaces for round upright kilns that were likely used for charcoal manufacture. Trail trenching and sampling were carried out, charred wood remains - recovered and subjected to anthracological analysis. Preliminary results indicate a dominant exploitation of beech wood (Fagus sp.), represented by both large- and small-diameter material. Minor occurrences of willow (Salix sp.), poplar (Populus sp.) were also identified. These findings correspond to some of the contemporary toponymy of the region, which includes references to willow, as in Gornja Vrbava and Donja Vrbava, but also contrast to other, referring to Turkey oak (Quercus cerris), as in the locality Cerova, and birch (Betula sp.), as in Brezovica. This discrepancy opens a line of discussion regarding woodland exploitation strategies: whether low-altitude beech forests were preferentially selected for charcoal production due to the unavailability of oak resources, or whether oak became dominant through later reforestation following the exhaustion of beech woodlands

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