Understanding the impact of socio-economic activities on archaeological charcoal assemblages in temperate areas: A comparative analysis of firewood management in two Neolithic societies in Western Europe (Belgium, France)

Salavert, Aurélie; Dufraisse, Alexa

doi:10.1016/j.jaa.2014.05.002

Cited by 24 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Interestingly, according to the local Kanak word view there is no such thing as ''nature''; however, there is a distinction between the forest that is exploited and experienced by people on a daily basis and the ''deep forest'', which is not ''socialized'' and is inhabited by supernatural beings and spirits (Leblic 2005). The forests represented in the anthracological assemblages from the sites of Pwadaunu and Komijièn appear to be those which were regularly visited and exploited by people, in particular for firewood, applying the concept of daily itineraries as defined in Salavert and Dufraisse (2014) and can thus be considered as belonging to the forest domain within the social world. However, the deep forest, which was regarded as dangerous and was not socialized, probably corresponds to the higher altitude dense wet rainforest ecosystems that are not represented in the anthracological assemblages.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of forest management and arboriculture from wood charcoal data: an anthracological case study from two New Caledonia Kanak pre-colonial sites

Dotte-Sarout

2016

Veget Hist Archaeobot

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Archaeological wood charcoal analysis or anthracology has been applied for the first time in New Caledonia as part of an interdisciplinary research program examining Kanak pre-colonial landscape management in a valley on the northeast coast of the subtropical Pacific island. In contrast to previous hypotheses, this study demonstrated that when the Kanak traditional cultural complex emerged around AD 1000, following the initial 2,000 years of human presence on the island, the vegetation cover showed few signs of deforestation and the tropical rainforests were still prominent. The vegetation surrounding Kanak settlement sites evolved during the first half of the 2nd millennium AD towards a more open but more complex composition that included useful taxa. This was interpreted as showing a form of forest management and possible arboriculture (the cultivation and management of trees). However, in sharp contrast to its Melanesian neighbours, very little is known about arboricultural practices in New Caledonia. Through the interpretation of data from two sites in particular, a discussion of the two-step analytical process is used to argue for the existence of arboricultural practices associated with these sites: (1) using anthracological data to reconstruct the vegetational landscape, together with ethnobotanical, ethnohistorical and archaeological data; (2) allowing for the recognition of specific practices of forest domestication, based on the manipulation of plants and of spatial patterns of forests. At a time when archaeology is engaged in a process of postcolonial re-evaluation of its schemes of interpretation, it seems timely for archaeobotany to try integrating more indigenous systems of representation into its analyses. The approach presented here is an effort in this direction, trying to make sense of new data by reading them through a local lens.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of forest management and arboriculture from wood charcoal data: an anthracological case study from two New Caledonia Kanak pre-colonial sites

Dotte-Sarout

2016

Veget Hist Archaeobot

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“…; Picornell‐Gelabert et al . ; Salavert & Dufraisse ). Also related to this point, transmission of knowledge and sociocultural practices within a group (such as differential knowledge by gender and/or age) plays a significant role in firewood collection practices (see Ramos et al .…”

Section: Anthracology: Methodological and Theoretical Foundationsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Asouti ; Dufraisse ; Marston ; Shaw ; contributions to Badal et al . or Damblon ; Dufraisse ; Salavert & Dufraisse ), it is possible to extract a few constants that seem to generally direct human behaviour in terms of firewood collection.…”

Section: Anthracology: Methodological and Theoretical Foundationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Not just carbon: assessment and prospects for the application of anthracology in Oceania

Dotte-Sarout

Carah

Byrne

2014

Archaeology in Oceania

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While archaeobotany is increasingly part of archaeological projects in Oceania, the specific sub‐discipline focusing on wood charcoal macro‐remains (anthracology) continues to be a much underdeveloped field of research in Australia and the Pacific. To initiate a regional framework for anthracology, we present here a review of studies based on wood charcoal analyses that have been implemented in Oceania, and we then present anthracological principles and methods developed in other parts of the world. We use three recent case studies, from New Caledonia, and tropical and semi‐arid Australia, to illustrate the application of anthracological methods in the region. Finally, we consider the potential for the discipline to be successfully developed in Oceania, discussing identified challenges and prospects for anthracology to address key archaeological questions in the region. We argue the discipline has the potential to throw light on both palaeoenvironmental conditions and palaeoethnobotanical practices at a site, and can also offer insights in relation to mobility patterns and resource management in the past.

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“…The gathering of domestic firewood is a daily activity and depends on social and economic contexts (see for example Asouti and Austin, 2005;Picornell et al, 2011;Salavert and Dufraisse, 2014). Archaeological charcoals are a reflection of firewood gathering practices and woodland management, which are partially conditioned by the environment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contribution of tyloses quantification in earlywood oak vessels to archaeological charcoal analyses: Estimation of a minimum age and influences of physiological and environmental factors

Dufraisse

Coubray

Girardclos

et al. 2018

Quaternary International

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Understanding the impact of socio-economic activities on archaeological charcoal assemblages in temperate areas: A comparative analysis of firewood management in two Neolithic societies in Western Europe (Belgium, France)

Abstract: Title: Understanding the impact of socio-economic activities on archaeological charcoal assemblages in temperate areas: comparative analysis of firewood management in two Neolithic societies in Western Europe (Belgium, France).

Cited by 24 publications

References 20 publications

Evidence of forest management and arboriculture from wood charcoal data: an anthracological case study from two New Caledonia Kanak pre-colonial sites

Evidence of forest management and arboriculture from wood charcoal data: an anthracological case study from two New Caledonia Kanak pre-colonial sites

Not just carbon: assessment and prospects for the application of anthracology in Oceania

Contribution of tyloses quantification in earlywood oak vessels to archaeological charcoal analyses: Estimation of a minimum age and influences of physiological and environmental factors

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