Where were the hearths: an experimental investigation of the archaeological signature of prehistoric fire technology in the alluvial gravels of the Southern Plains

Backhouse, Paul N.; Johnson, Eileen

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2006.10.027

Cited by 28 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Studies of anthropogenic fires are becoming more widespread and sophisticated (e.g. Backhouse and Johnson, 2007;Werts and Jahren, 2007) and they consider the effect of the fire on various materials. Botanical remains can be transformed into relatively stable products, usually described as carbonized or charred, through exposure to heat, with limited supplies of air (Braadbaart, 2004;.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Going underground: experimental carbonization of fruiting structures under hearths

Sievers

Wadley

2008

Journal of Archaeological Science

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Going underground: experimental carbonization of fruiting structures under hearths

Sievers

Wadley

2008

Journal of Archaeological Science

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“…-The impacts of fire on artefacts: Fire experiments were carried out as a source of heat to observe the thermal behaviour of materials, i.e. their capacity for heat retention and the thermal spalling (Backhouse and Johnson 2007). Some researchers (Brown et al 2009;Mourre et al 2010;Schmidt et al 2012) studied the influence of fire on flaking properties.…”

Section: About the Justification Of The Reconstitution Of Experimentamentioning

confidence: 99%

A new process of reconstructing archaeological fires from their impact on sediment: a coupled experimental and numerical approach based on the case study of hearths from the cave of Les Fraux (Dordogne, France)

Brodard

Lacanette

Guibert

et al. 2015

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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International audienceA novel approach to the intensity of archaeological fires is proposed, based on a combination of archaeological observations and analyses of sedimentary hearths with relevant proxies obtained from using experimental combustion structures. In this work, two different structures were built and monitored. They aimed at reproducing two types of archaeological hearth morphology encountered at the Bronze Age site of the cave of Les Fraux (Saint Martin de Fressengeas, Dordogne, France). A series of fires was constructed and a large amount of data was collected: temperature curves, wood consumption and observations on substratum evolution. A numerical code for heat transfer was developed to model heat propagation from the surface to the underlying sedimentary layers, the input parameters of which were adapted to fit the thermal evolution observed with the experimental fires. We found that two archaeological parameters are fundamental to characterise the intensity of the fire: the paleotemperature reached at the surface of the burnt sediment (which in our case was determined by thermoluminescence analyses) and the depth of the rubefaction front as an indicator of a 250 °C isothermal surface. We then estimated the duration of an equivalent single fire that would correspond to one of the archaeological hearths investigated. Finally, with the wood consumption recorded during the fire experiments, and the estimated firing duration, the energy involved was evaluated. When generalised to the study of archaeological hearths, this approach could be of great interest in firing intensity evaluation (temperature/time/energy)

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“…It is also important to note that campfires burn at temperatures ranging from 500-700° centigrade depending on the source of fuel (e.g., Backhouse and Johnson 2007;Fraser et al 2003;Stinson and Wright 1969;Werts and Jahren 2007). Temperatures in the underlying deposits vary from 100-700° (Werts and Jahren 2007: 852), although the penetration depth of fire in sediment is low (Bellomo 1994: 176;Wadley 2009).…”

Section: Burnt Msa Pointsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Untitled

2011

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Rhino Cave, located at the World Heritage site of Tsodilo Hills, is one of the three main Middle Stone Age (MSA) sites in Botswana. Initial investigations during the mid-1990s left unanswered a number of key questions regarding the early use of the cave. This prompted the current investigations, which have unearthed a wealth of MSA artifacts from a lag deposit. Results of a selectively employed chaîne opératoire analysis have revealed a very special set of behavioral patterns. It will be argued that the best-fit interpretation of the results from this investigation lies within the realm of ritualized behavior. The assemblage is characterized by an unexpectedly large number of MSA points, which are for the most part produced in non-locally acquired raw materials. These points are colorful, carefully and often elaborately made, and, once complete, never left the cave. They were either deliberately burned to the point where they could no longer be used, abandoned, or intentionally smashed. These artifacts were found together with tabular grinding slabs and pieces of the locally available pigment, specularite. This assemblage was recovered directly beneath a massive, virtually free-standing rock face that has been carved with hundreds of cupules of varying sizes and shapes. A section of the carved rock face was recovered from well within the MSA deposits in association with handheld grinding stones. INTRODUCTIONI t has been proposed that "collective ritual -with its formal characteristic of amplified, stereotypical, redundant display -might be expected to leave a loud archaeological signature" (Watts 2009: 62). According to a number of researchers (e.g., Knight 2009;Knight 2010;Power 1999Power , 2009Power and Aiello 1997;Watts 1999Watts , 2002Watts , 2009) the archaeological record of ochre use, dating from the late Middle Pleistocene, provides such a signature. Symbolism, a crucial feature of ritual behavior, has been central to the debate on behavioral modernity. . However, one area of investigation that could potentially reveal patterns of ritual behavior has received minimal attention within African MSA studies. This is the application of the chaîne opératoire. Results from this method identify sequences of conscious choices made by the original artifact makers. The combined results of these individual sequences can provide insight into behavior patterns which are indicative of broader culturally determined traits and norms. By applying this methodological approach to a site that contains unusual or atypical MSA features, it can identify other 'loud archaeological signatures'.As noted by McBrearty (2003: 514) "one of the most difficult tasks for the prehistorian is to identify the emergence of novel behaviors." The authors suggest that a set of novel behavioral patterns is a most apt description for the results that have emerged from a recent test excavation at Rhino Cave, located within the World Heritage site of Tsodilo Hills, Botswana. This site was initially excavated in the mid-1990s (Robbins et al...

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Where were the hearths: an experimental investigation of the archaeological signature of prehistoric fire technology in the alluvial gravels of the Southern Plains

Cited by 28 publications

References 27 publications

Going underground: experimental carbonization of fruiting structures under hearths

Going underground: experimental carbonization of fruiting structures under hearths

A new process of reconstructing archaeological fires from their impact on sediment: a coupled experimental and numerical approach based on the case study of hearths from the cave of Les Fraux (Dordogne, France)

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