Acta Scientiarum Polonorum
Silvarum Colendarum Ratio et Industria Lignaria

This paper investigates the production and use of resin and pine tar in ancient Greece and beyond, from prehistory through the Byzantine and early modern periods. Drawing on ancient literary sources alongside archaeological, archaeometric, and ethnographic evidence, the study reconstructs resin tapping and tar-making techniques from antiquity to modern times, with a particular focus on the ancient pitch industry and the longsurviving use of katramokámina kilns in modern rural Greece. Resinous substances obtained either by tapping live trees for resin or by subjecting resinous wood to pyrolysis to produce tar served diverse functions in Greek society: sealing ships and wine jars, healing wounds, perfuming spaces, and fuelling torches and weapons.
The study emphasizes both the material applications and symbolic roles of these substances in domestic, maritime, medical, and religious contexts. By tracing technological continuity and adaptation across millennia, the paper highlights the ecological knowledge embedded in resin-related practices. It contributes to the study of ancient woodland industries and the preservation of intangible cultural heritage, offering insights into the longstanding relationship between natural resources, artisanal expertise, and cultural resilience in the Greek world.