Unravelling Prehistoric Fire Use: Variation in Fire Conditions Equals Variation in Human Behavior
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Unravelling prehistoric fire use: Variation in fire conditions equals variation in human behavior:
Building a fire involves many variables, such as size, choice of fuel, temperature, and burn time, that affect the way the generated heat can be used, and therefore the potential function of a fire. A group of Leiden archeologists are, together with a team of international colleagues, investigating remains of Paleolithic hearths in order to characterize the use of fire by our distant ancestors. Results of this project, initiated by the late Freek Braadbaart, were recently published in the Journal of Archeological Science. We spoke with one of the authors, ancient fire expert Femke Reidsma.
[...] Eighteen Upper Paleolithic hearths from the famous site of Abri Pataud were analyzed. Abri Pataud is a rock shelter with a well-preserved sequence, located in the Southwest of France. "These prehistoric hearths consist of ashy material, highly fragmented charcoal, and heated bone," Femke Reidsma explains. Using a combination of new techniques and reference data, the researchers explore the remains' clues on the application of the fire. "We can now analyze the materials to get to the heating conditions of former fires."
[...] Summarizing, Reidsma concludes that the main takeaway of this approach is that it is the way forward. "By combining the results from different methods and different materials we got a much clearer and complete picture than we would have gotten if we only looked at the charcoal or the bone. In terms of archeological interpretations, we confirmed suspicions that were already there. The discovery of the dung and the debunking of the bone-as-fuel theory also have implications for other sites."
Journal Reference:
F. Braadbaart, F. H. Reidsma, W. Roebroeks, et al. Heating histories and taphonomy of ancient fireplaces: A multi-proxy case study from the Upper Palaeolithic sequence of Abri Pataud (Les Eyzies-de-Tayac, France), (DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2020.102468)
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