Task 5 - Charcoal analyses and dendrology:
wood for fuel, craft and construction
Coordinator: João Tereso
Carbonized and waterlogged wood remains will be analysed to understand how wood was managed, selected and used for several purposes. Charcoal and wood analyses rely on anatomy for the identification of taxa and on ecology for environmental interpretations. Despite providing valuable paleoecological information, since wood present in archaeological sites derives of human actions, the discussions it promotes concern mostly human gestures and decisions concerning wood management and collection and its use thereafter. These will be the aims of this task. Charcoal and wood will be recovered from varied sites in articulation with the carpological study (Task 4). Primary contexts, such as domestic fireplaces and ovens, specialized furnaces (e.g. metallurgy, pottery) and funerary pyres will be prioritized, as they correspond to in situ combustions. Wood from extensive fires and waterlogged contexts will be prioritized but secondary contexts such as dump sites, will also be analysed. |