Detailed stable carbon isotope and molecular investigations were undertaken on a number of archaeological and
fossil wood specimens to provide insights into their use as rigorous independent palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental
parameters. The isotope data revealed large differences amongst the material with the oldest specimens being
least depleted in 13C. Although natural variation could account for some of the observed differences, the isotope
values of the archaeological and Tertiary specimens are most probably related to the absolute abundance of
polysaccharides present and the degree of lignin alteration. The molecular data, based on pyrolysis, of the Antarctic
Cretaceous conifer specimens revealed only transformed lignin, with virtually no intact lignin building blocks (2-
methoxyphenols) preserved, and no evidence of polysaccharides. This degree of chemical alteration is suggested here
to be one of the main causes for the 13C enriched values of these conifer specimens. These results show the importance
of combining detailed molecular information on individual wood components with stable carbon isotope data for
palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental studies