Dead wood gathering among Neanderthal groups: Charcoal evidence from Abric del Pastor and El Salt (Eastern Iberia)

We present here a new approach combining the microscopic characterization of fungal decay features and the fragmentation degree of the charcoal remains from Middle Palaeolithic combustion structures: features H4 and H11 from Abric del Pastor, unit IV (>75 ka BP) and features H50 and H57 from El Salt, unit Xb (ca. 52 ka BP), Eastern Iberia. The observation of wood degradation patterns that occurred prior to charring followed by their quantitative analysis according to previous experimental studies revealed differences between the alteration degrees of the firewood used in the hearths, highlighting the existence of firewood acquisition criteria based on dead wood gathering and also suggesting smoke-related functions. Coupled with fragmentation analyses, this method highlighted possible post-depositional processes affecting the higher degraded charcoals. These results lead us to propose a quantitative analysis of the fungal decay patterns on Middle Palaeolithic charcoal reinforcing the previous hypotheses about dead wood gathering among Neanderthal groups as an accessible and available resource in the surroundings. These data have significant implications for the interpretation of firewood use and management by Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers which was traditionally defined as an opportunistic activity according to the absence of selection criteria based on specific taxa

Neanderthal firewood management: Evidence from Stratigraphic Unit IV of Abric del Pastor (Eastern Iberia)

This paper presents anthracological data from Abric del Pastor (Alcoi, Spain), a Middle Paleolithic rock shelter site. Analysis of 1077 wood charcoal remains from Stratigraphic Unit IV (S.U. IV), collected within archaeological combustion structures and from loose sediment outside of structures, allowed us to characterise the local landscape, as well as to approach the interaction between Neanderthal groups and their local environment. Taxonomic identification suggests that firewood was gathered from nearby sources, with predominance of juniper (Juniperus sp.) followed by thermophilous shrubby taxa. Additional analysis focussing on post-depositional processes affecting charcoal have shown features indicative of biodegradation and mechanical action. The results of this study contribute significant anthracological data towards our understanding of Late Pleistocene Mediterranean landscapes and Neanderthal forest management in this region

Differential preservation of anthracological material and mechanical properties of wood charcoal: an experimental approach of fragmentation

National audienceDifferential preservation of anthracological material and mechanical properties of wood charcoal: an experimental approach of fragmentatio

Impact of post-depositional processes on charcoal fragmentation and archaeobotanical implications: Experimental approach combining charcoal analysis and biomechanics

International audienceGenerallyspeaking,charcoalanalysisisbasedonidentifyingandcountingcharcoalfragmentsinordertocalculatetherelativevariationsintaxafrequency.Allpost-depositionalprocessesarelikelytoinducefragmentationoftheanthracologicalmaterial,raisingthequestionoftherepresentativenessoftaxa.Basedonaninnovativeexperimentalapproachcombiningbothcharcoalanalysisandbiomechanics,thispaperexploreshowthemechanicalpropertiesofcharcoalcaninfluencethefragmentationandthequantificationofspeciesinanthracologicalassemblages.Wecarriedoutstandardizedlaboratorycompressiontestson302samplesissuedfrom10taxa,charredatthreedifferenttemperatures,inordertocharacterizethemechanicalpropertiesofcommonspeciesintemperateandMediterraneanEurope.Ourresultshighlightthedifferentialresponsesofthetestedspeciesintermsofresistancetocompressionandfragmentation,twoprocesseswhichdonotappeartobecorrelated.Charcoalisveryresistanttopressure(upto22.5MPa).Ourresultsshowthatsignificantfragmentationdifferencesexistbetweentaxa.Thetotalnumberoffragmentsaftercompressionislargelydependentonthespecies,regardlessofthecharringtemperature.However,thisinterspecificvariabilityismoresignificantforsmallfragments[1e2mm],thanforlargerfragments[2e4mm]and>4mm,withtheexceptionofQuercus,whichdisplaysdifferentialreactionstocompression.Finally,amultifactorialanalysisbringstolighttheimpactofthephysicalandanatomicalcharacteristicsofthedifferentspeciesoncharcoalfragmentatio

Carbonised wooden objects and wood charcoal from an Iron Age feasting context in North-western Iberia: the case study of Frijão (Braga, Portugal)

The site of Frijão in North-western Iberia was occupied during a period between the 4th and 2nd centuries BC and it is a very unique site in the context of the local Iron Age network. Its features suggest that it was a place to celebrate ceremonies related to feasting, in the same context 71 fragments of a riveted cauldron, seeds and fruits, burned bone, pottery and carbonised wooden manufactured pieces were found. These woodcrafts included a handle made of hazel wood (Corylus avellana), two fragments of one or more vessels of Rosaceae/Maloideae and four fragments of indeterminate objects made of oak (Quercus sp. deciduous) and alder buckthorn (Frangula alnus) wood. Other recoveries included fragments of oak charcoal interpreted as the charred remnants of a building made of perishable materials. The study of the archaeobotanical assemblages of Frijão highlighted the difficulties of interpreting the results of carbonised wood samples from fire-events – i.e. to distinguish between firewood and wooden manufactures – and the importance of registering dendrological and taphonomical data to go beyond taxonomical identification.María Martín-Seijo was funded by a Post-Doc Grant Plan I2C mod. A with the project “Alén do bosque na Idade do Bronce do Noroeste da Ibéria. Estudo dos combustibles e das manufacturas en madeira a partir da cadea técnico-operativa”. The charcoal analysis was carried out in the Environmental Archaeology Laboratory of the InBio-Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology (Associated Laboratory)/ CIBIO-Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources/University of Porto. This investigation made part of the ENARDAS Project—Natural spaces, architectures, rock art and depositions from the Late Prehistory of the Western front of Central and Northern Portugal: from actions to meanings (reference PTDC/HIS-ARQ/112983/2009).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio