FOSSIL OAK

Time in the wood, or wood in time? Fossil oak, where centuries settle like growth rings, is surely the finest proof of permanence and endurance. Wood that was once sound went on to its "afterlife" in the water, on the bed of a river or a marsh. In silt, sand and gravel, with almost no oxygen, the process of fossilisation begins. Oak from the water — fossil oak, river bog oak, marsh or swamp oak, morta or black oak, or simply put, everlasting wood — goes on ageing in its new surroundings. Thanks to many processes it gradually begins to change colour, from gold, copper, red and chocolate to grey, and all the way to black.

Fossil oak is not unknown in our region. Most of it is found in the Sava, the Velika Morava and the Kolubara, and rarely in the Danube. Fossil oak whose age is counted in thousands of years is also dug up in England, Ireland, Germany… The oldest specimen was found in Croatia, between Županja and Orašje on the Sava. The Ruđer Bošković Institute in Zagreb established that this wood is 8,290 years old. The result was confirmed by the corresponding laboratory in Tokyo. What distinguishes this wood is its age, its wealth of colour and its exceptional hardness. Fossil oak is a highly prized wood, but the usable part of it sometimes comes down to barely one fifth. Because of the demanding process of working it, it is an extremely expensive material. Sculptures, musical instruments and luxury furniture are made from fossil oak. In support of this, the wood was treated as a precious luxury in the past: the throne of Peter the Great was made from it, as was the bedchamber of Louis XIV.