Le Grana kermès et l'utilisation historique du chêne kermès (Quercus coccifera L.) : Perspective environnementale d'une ressource forestière ancienne

Grana kermes was a very valuable dyeing material from ancient times until the beginning of the 19th century. It was obtained from an insect (Kermes sp.) that developed on the kermes oak and represented an important economic resource for many farming communities, which maintained the kermes oak groves. The article raises the issue from an environmental point of view. It assesses the importance reached by this exploitation in the Iberian Peninsula and the relationship between its crisis and the subsequent deforestation processes. The case of the ancient kingdom of Valencia is analyzed in more detail, as it is one of the main producing and trading areas of grana-kermes in the Mediterranean. The conclusions show that this forest resource meant the management of the plant species and the reproduction of the insect, generating exclusive ecosystems (kermes oak groves) until the crisis produced by the arrival of other dye products.