Abstract The study outlined here responds to a two-fold historiographical observation. First, wood has mainly been studied, both recently and secondarily, by historians interested in the seasonal administration of warfare. This article takes a broader look at the use of wood as a major resource in both imperial capitals and Ottoman provinces. The documentation available in the Ottoman archives of the Presidency of the Turkish Republic allows us to cross-reference fiscal and logistical aspects over different time periods (weekly, monthly, or yearly). Second, wood has primarily been studied from the perspective of timber and lumber intended for State factories. This article examines the importance of firewood in terms of its impact on local economies and the distribution of the tax burden between suppliers and producers. Based on the systematic exploitation of the registers and receipts produced by the Ottoman finance department, the investigation addresses four related topics: the place of wood in the field of tax collection and exemptions, the provisioning methods adopted by the authorities, the apportions system within administrative units, and revenue assessment methods for firewood provisioning. Finally, the results point to two avenues of development for Ottoman studies, namely a possible link between two independently forged paradigms (economic mind and fiscal State) and a connection with two historiographies that are themselves linked (Byzantium and Rome).
Olivier Bouquet (Tue,) studied this question.