Charcoal analysis (Archaeology)

Cenzon-Salvayre and Durand 2011 - The cremation structures of the Roman Empire : anthracological data versus historical sources. In : Badal et al. 2011 (ed.)5th INTERNATIONAL MEETING OF CHARCOAL ANALYSIS: The charcoal as cultural and biological heritage, Saguntum, Extra II, Valencia, p. 191-192.

by Carine Cenzon Salvayre

Cenzon-Salvayre 2011 : CENZON-SALVAYRE (C.) . - Etude anthracologique. In : DJAOUI (D.), MARLIER (S.), GRECK (S.) - Arles-Rhône 3, Le naufrage d’un chaland antique dans le Rhône, enquête pluridisciplinaire, 2011, pp.135-136.

by Carine Cenzon Salvayre

Cenzon Salvayre (C.), Durand (A.) 2012 - Analyse anthracologique de l’aire de crémation B1 de la nécropole d’Ambrussum. In : DEDET (B.) - Une nécropole du second Age du Fer à Ambrussum, Hérault, BIAMA 11, Aix en Provence, 2012, pp.239-245.

by Carine Cenzon Salvayre

Long-term deforestation in NW Spain: linking the Holocene fire history to vegetation change and human activities

by Eleni Asouti

published in Quaternary Science Reviews (2011) vol. 30, pp. 161-175

The Holocene fire regime is thought to have had a key role in deforestation and shrubland expansion in Galicia (NW... more The Holocene fire regime is thought to have had a key role in deforestation and shrubland expansion in Galicia (NW Spain) but the contribution of past societies to vegetation burning remains poorly understood. This may be, in part, due to the fact that detailed fire records from areas in close proximity to archaeological sites are scarce. To fill this gap, we performed charcoal analysis in five colluvial soils from an archaeological area (Campo Lameiro) and compared the results to earlier studies from this area and palaeo-ecological literature from NW Spain. This analysis allowed for the reconstruction of the vegetation and fire dynamics in the area during the last ca 11000 yrs. In the Early Holocene, Fabaceae and Betula sp. were dominant in the charcoal record. Quercus sp. started to replace these species around 10000 cal BP, forming a deciduous forest that prevailed during the Holocene Thermal Maximum until 5500 cal BP. Following that, several cycles of potentially fire-induced forest regression with subsequent incomplete recovery eventually led to the formation of an open landscape dominated by shrubs (Erica sp. and Fabaceae). Major episodes of forest regression were (1) 5500-5000 cal BP, which marks the mid-Holocene cooling after the Holocene Thermal Maximum, but also the period during which agropastoral activities in NW Spain became widespread, and (2) 2000-1500 cal BP, which corresponds roughly to the end of the Roman Warm Period and the transition from the Roman to the Germanic period. The low degree of chronological precision, which is inherent in fire history reconstructions from colluvial soils, made it impossible to distinguish climatic from human-induced fires. Nonetheless, the abundance of synanthropic pollen indicators (e.g. Plantago lanceolata and Urtica dioica) since at least 6000 cal BP strongly suggests that humans used fire to generate and maintain pasture.

Woodland vegetation and the exploitation of fuel and timber at Neolithic Çatalhöyük: report on the wood charcoal macro‐remains

by Eleni Asouti

In Hodder, I. (ed.). Inhabiting Çatalhöyük: Reports from the 1995-9 Seasons, pp. 213-258. McDonald Institute Monographs 38. McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research and British Institute at Ankara, Cambridge & London (2005)

Woodland vegetation and fuel exploitation at the prehistoric campsite of Pinarbasi, south-central Anatolia, Turkey: the evidence from the wood charcoal macro-remains

by Eleni Asouti

published in the Journal of Archaeological Science (2003) vol. 30, pp. 1185-1201

This paper presents the results of the analysis of wood charcoal macro-remains from the multi-period prehistoric rock... more This paper presents the results of the analysis of wood charcoal macro-remains from the multi-period prehistoric rock shelters of Pinarbasi in the Konya plain, south-central Anatolia. Retrieval and analytical methods are also reported in detail, together with some methodologies previously untested in the field of charcoal analysis aiming at the quantitative description of context-related variation in the preservation status of archaeological wood charcoal assemblages. The patterns observed in the charcoal record are interpreted as a reflection of the prehistoric strategies for firewood exploitation in their local and regional palaeoenvironmental context.

Macro-botanical evidence for plant use at Neolithic Catalhöyük south-central Anatolia, Turkey

by Eleni Asouti

published in Vegetation History and Archaeobotany (2002) vol. 11, pp. 41-54

Analysis of charred plant macro-remains, including wood charcoals, cereals, seeds, tubers and fruits from the... more Analysis of charred plant macro-remains, including wood charcoals, cereals, seeds, tubers and fruits from the Neolithic site of Catalhoyuk has indicated complex patterns of plant resource use and exploitation in the Konya plain during the early Holocene. Evidence presented in this paper shows that settlement location was not dictated by proximity to high quality arable land and direct access to arboreal resources (firewood, timber, fruit producing species). A summary of the patterns observed in sample composition and species representation is outlined here together with preliminary interpretations of these results within their broader regional context.

Charcoal analysis and the reconstruction of ancient woodland vegetation in the Konya Basin, south-central Anatolia, Turkey: results from the Neolithic site of …

by Eleni Asouti

published in Vegetation History and Archaeobotany (2001) vol. 10, pp. 23-32

The results produced by charcoal analysis are used in conjunction with pollen evidence, geomorphological data and... more The results produced by charcoal analysis are used in conjunction with pollen evidence, geomorphological data and ecological analogues, in order to reconstruct ancient woodland vegetation in the Konya Basin and its surroundings during the Neolithic. Emphasis is placed on the structure, diversity and seasonal habit of different vegetation types, as well as their potential response to natural and/or anthropogenic disturbance. It is argued that such an approach to vegetation reconstruction enables better insights into palaeoenvironments as experienced by human groups in the past, and thus offers fruitful avenues for investigating the relationship of human societies with the natural environment.

Wood Charcoal from Santorini (Thera): New Evidence for Climate, Vegetation and Timber Imports in the Bronze Age Aegean

by Eleni Asouti

published in Antiquity (2003) vol. 77, pp. 471-484

Wood charcoal from stratified layers at Akrotiri is helping to map the ecology of the island of Santorini before the... more Wood charcoal from stratified layers at Akrotiri is helping to map the ecology of the island of Santorini before the volcanic eruption in the second millennium BC which brought Bronze Age settlement to an end. Far from being treeless like today, the island had a relatively moist and cool climate with diverse vegetation including open oak woodland. Olive cultivation can be traced back to the Early Bronze Age. Cedar, yew and beech were also imported from Lebanon, Cyprus and Anatolia as artefacts, or for building.

Reconstructing woodland vegetation and its exploitation by past societies, based on the analysis and interpretation of archaeological wood charcoal macro-remains

by Eleni Asouti

published in Environmental Archaeology (2005) vol. 10, pp. 1-18

In this paper the significance of the analysis of archaeological wood charcoal macro-remains as a tool for the... more In this paper the significance of the analysis of archaeological wood charcoal macro-remains as a tool for the reconstruction of woodland vegetation and its exploitation is discussed. Drawing from both older and more recent publications a number of theoretical and methodological approaches are examined. It is suggested that greater integration of charcoal and archaeological data is needed when evaluating charcoal preservation and sample composition, and that a more coherent theory of the complex ecological and cultural processes affecting species availability and firewood management needs to be developed.

The ethnoarchaeology of firewood management in the Fang villages of Equatorial Guinea, central Africa: Implications for the interpretation of wood fuel remains from …

by Eleni Asouti

published in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology (2011) vol. 30, pp. 375-384

In archaeological literature, the study of trees and wood remains is a topic of relatively marginal interest,... more In archaeological literature, the study of trees and wood remains is a topic of relatively marginal interest, especially compared to texts on crops and human–animal relations. However, charcoal is the most frequent botanical remain found in archaeological sites. Charcoal analysis can therefore play a major role in the development of studies in both landscape and palaeoethnobotanical reconstruction. The majority of the archaeological charcoal assemblages reflect the exploitation of wood as an energy source (fuel). The archaeological study of firewood selection has been predominantly developed from ‘‘eco utilitarian’’ or ‘‘subsistence economy’’ perspectives, but has not yet considered fuel collection and use as one of the most enduring categories of human–environment interactions, nor has archaeology looked into its potential as a source of empirical information on past perceptions of, and interactions with, ancient landscapes. The aim of this paper is to expand previous archaeological work on the interpretation of charcoal macroremains through the study of firewood collection as a historically constituted, socially mediated and archaeologically observable landscape practice. In order to achieve this, we present an ethnoarchaeological case study from the Fang society of Equatorial Guinea (central Africa) aimed at gaining a better understanding of the complex interactions between cultural, ecological and economic variables in firewood collection strategies.

Carbóns e madeiras en contextos arqueolóxicos: criterios para a recollida, rexistro e almacenaxe de mostras

by María Martín-Seijo

Co-authored with Aldara Rico Rey, published in Gallaecia, vol. 27: 273-283, 2008

Charcoal and wood are the most frecuent archaeobotanical remains in archaeological contexts so field sampling, storing... more Charcoal and wood are the most frecuent archaeobotanical remains in archaeological contexts so field sampling, storing and recording are fundamental to obtain information by charcoal and wood analysis. In this paper there are the basic criteria during the archaeological activities for this kind of sample treatment.

Nanodiamonds and wildfire evidence in the Usselo horizon postdate the Allerød-Younger Dryas boundary

by Annelies van Hoesel

Co-authored with: Wim Z. Hoek, Freek Braadbaart, Johannes van der Plicht, Gillian M. Pennock and Martyn Drury

The controversial Younger Dryas impact hypothesis suggests that at the onset of the Younger Dryas an extraterrestrial... more The controversial Younger Dryas impact hypothesis suggests that at the onset of the Younger Dryas an extraterrestrial impact over North America caused a global catastrophe. The main evidence for this impact—after the other markers proved to be neither reproducible nor consistent with an impact—is the alleged occurrence of several nanodiamond polymorphs, including the proposed presence of lonsdaleite, a shock polymorph of diamond. We examined the Usselo soil horizon at Geldrop-Aalsterhut (The Netherlands), which formed during the Allerød/Early Younger Dryas and would have captured such impact material. Our accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dates of 14 individual charcoal particles are internally consistent and show that wildfires occurred well after the proposed impact. In addition we present evidence for the occurrence of cubic diamond in glass-like carbon. No lonsdaleite was found. The relation of the cubic nanodiamonds to glass-like carbon, which is produced during wildfires, suggests that these nanodiamonds might have formed after, rather than at the onset of, the Younger Dryas. Our analysis thus provides no support for the Younger Dryas impact hypothesis.

The exploitation of forest resources in mountain areas during the Neolithic in the northeast of the Iberian peninsula

by María Martín-Seijo

Co authored with Laura Obea, Raquel Piqué & Ermengol Gassiot, published in Saguntum Extra, 2011

The aim of this work is to analyze the variability in the use of firewood in mountain areas in northeast Iberian... more The aim of this work is to analyze the variability in the use of firewood in mountain areas in northeast Iberian Peninsula. The data obtained from the charcoal analyses in Cova del Sardo (4550- 2500 cal. BC) is compared with other sites located in the south side of the Pyrenees and Prepyrenees. Differences in altitude and latitude explain the main differences in the consumptions of firewood: in middle and high altitudes Pinus sylvestris-nigra type is dominant; whereas, Quercus sp. deciduous and Buxus sempevirens are the most important taxa at low altitudes.

Firewood and timber exploitation during the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC in the Western façade of the Iberian Northwest: wooden resources, territories and chaîne opératoire

by María Martín-Seijo

Co-authored with A.M.S. Bettencourt & E. Abad Vidal, poster presented at IV Jornadas do Quaternário, APEQ, Coimbra, 2011

Human societies established productive strategies in order to obtain the material resources needed for their day-... more Human societies established productive strategies in order to obtain the material resources needed for their day- to-day life, including firewood and timber. These strategies were determined by the environmental supply, and also by the cultural characteristics and technical capacities of these communities. This paper presents charcoal analyses data from four Chalcolithic and Bronze Age open-air settlements located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula and occupied during the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC. These results contribute to the knowledge of the exploitation of wooden resources, of the territories where these resources were collected, and of the firewood and timber production process. The identified wood taxa point to a diversified exploitation of the territory, where firewood and timber were collected and/or felled in the deciduous woodland, the river banks and scrubland areas. The wooden resources consumed in each site allowed us to hypothesize about the territory of each community. The characteristics of wood parts used, degree of the tree-ring curvature, the minimum diameter of twigs or logs, the presence of tyloses or gum deposits, of reaction wood, of scars, etc.- as well as other data from archaeological contexts, such as the length of the post holes were all taken into account.

A floresta e o mato. Exemplos da exploração dos recursos lenhosos pelas comunidades da Idade do Bronze Inicial e Médio do Noroeste de Portugal

by María Martín-Seijo

Co-authored with I. Figueiral, A. M. S. Bettencourt, A. H. B. Gonçalves & M.I.C. Alves, published in n J. Tereso, J. Honrado, A. Pinto & F. Rego (Eds), Florestas do Norte de Portugal. História, Ecologia e Desafios de Gestão. InBio - Rede de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Biologia Evolutiva. E-book, pp. 68-80. 2011

Charcoal and dendrological analysis of the Early and Middle Bronze Age settlements of Monte Calvo and Lavra... more Charcoal and dendrological analysis of the Early and Middle Bronze Age settlements of Monte Calvo and Lavra (northwestern Portugal) has provided information on the nature of the vegetation cover and on the strategies of wood resources exploitation during this period.  371 charcoal fragments of 29 samples were analyzed, all of them preserved by carbonization.  The results reveal that all the diverse vegetation available in the vicinity of the settlements was exploited: species growing in mixed forests,
along river / stream banks and in open scrubland.  The wood of oak (deciduous Quercus) and leguminous plants (Fabaceae) appears to have been the most common fuel.

Long-term deforestation in NW Spain: linking the Holocene fire history to vegetation change and human activities

by María Martín-Seijo

Co-authored with Joeri Kaal, Yolanda Carrión Marco, Eleni Asouti, Antonio Martínez Cortizas, Manuela Costa Casáis & Felipe Criado Boado, published in 'Quaternary Science Reviews', vol. 30 (1-2): 161-175, 2011

Le travail du bois et les pratiques d'élagage à l'Âge du Fer: le site de Castrovite (Galice-Espagne)

by María Martín-Seijo

Co-authored with Xulio Carballo Arceo, published in C. DELHON; I. THÉRY-PARISOT & S. THIÉBAULT (dir.) Des hommes et des plantes. Exploitation du milieu et gestion des ressources végétales de la préhistoire à nos jours. Antibes: Éditions APDCA, pp. 343-356, 2010

This paper presents the results of the charcoal analysis and the study of clay imprints of branches and tables... more This paper presents the results of the charcoal analysis and the study of clay imprints of branches and tables recovered in the site of Castrovite, A Estrada (Galicia, Spain). The studied material has a chronology between 4rd-1st centuries BC. The taxonomic identification offered a short list of taxa, but the conservation of complete branches and the study of wood imprints in clay allow us to establish the existence of coppice practices.

Forest resources, chiefdoms and mortuary practices in the Neotropics: preliminary archaeobotanical analysis from El Caño (Coclé Province, Panamá) funerary complex

by María Martín-Seijo

Co-authored with Julia MayoTorné, Carlos Mayo Torné & Raquel Piqué i Huerta, published in 'Geophysical Research Abstracts', vol. 14, 2012

El Caño site is situated on the Pacific side of Panamá, near the Río Grande. It’s a funerary complex comprising... more El Caño site is situated on the Pacific side of Panamá, near the Río Grande. It’s a funerary complex comprising different types of structures (stone structures –basalt columns, groups of sculptures and a causeway-; earthen mounds and canals; burials).The excavations supervised by Julia Mayo between 2008 and 2011 allowed to discover several lavish burials estimated to date between 700 and 1000 AD (Mayo & Mayo 2012). The data recovered has served as source of information for the pre-Columbian chiefdoms and their mortuary practices. There was carried out a detailed taphonomic study to register the complex formation processes of these burial deposits, and the significant post-depositional transformations (anthropogenic and natural processes) (Mayo & Mayo in press). Also during the excavations were recovered archaeobotanical samples; most of them charcoals.

Analyse anthracologique du site rubané de Remicourt “ En Bia Flo II ” (Hesbaye, Belgique) : premiers résultats

by Aurélie Salavert

published in "Mémoires de la Société préhistorique française" 2008 vol. XLIV pp. 317-326