Coal used for Fuel at Two Prehistoric Sites in Southern France: Les Canalettes (Mousterian) and Les Usclades (Mesolithic) - Archive ouverte HAL Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue Journal of Archaeological Science Année : 1996

Coal used for Fuel at Two Prehistoric Sites in Southern France: Les Canalettes (Mousterian) and Les Usclades (Mesolithic)

Résumé

Charcoal analysis—the study of charcoal from archaeological contexts—is designed to reconstruct palaeoenvironment and human use of wood. At two prehistoric sites in the Causse du Larzac (France)—Les Canalettes (Mousterian) and Les Usclades (Mesolithic)—charcoal analysis has revealed specimens whose anatomical structure was abnormally compressed in transverse section. The authors conducted experiments to determine how the compression could have occurred. The result was the first evidence for lignite in Palaeolithic settlements. Lignite fragments in a hearth suggest local Palaeolithic people used it for fuel. The lignite could have come from major coal outcrops within 7 to 15 km of the sites. Coal use is otherwise unknown for Palaeolithic cultures in France, and its use at Les Canalettes during the last glacial is the oldest recorded instance. Coal may have been used for fuel primarily because wood became scarce during the last glacial.

Dates et versions

hal-01632993 , version 1 (06-02-2019)

Identifiants

Citer

I Théry, J Gril, J. L. Vernet, L. Meignen, J. Maury. Coal used for Fuel at Two Prehistoric Sites in Southern France: Les Canalettes (Mousterian) and Les Usclades (Mesolithic). Journal of Archaeological Science, 1996, 23 (4), pp.509-512. ⟨10.1006/jasc.1996.0048⟩. ⟨hal-01632993⟩
68 Consultations
1 Téléchargements

Altmetric

Partager

Gmail Facebook X LinkedIn More