Nouvelles recherches sur des charbons de bois du chalcolithique de l’âge du bronze and de l’âge du fer de feu au, wadi araba, jordanie

Abstract

In a region rich In prehistoric sites, numerous specimens of charcoal were collected. The specimens come from archaeological excavations of different epochs bandween 5.500 and 4.200 BP. The charcoals originate from domestic hearths, ruins of houses and from copper smelting furnaces. The important anatomical characters of the charcoal of ten species from the Fenan region are presented and illustrated by scanning electron microscopical photos. In a sample of charcolithic fire wood 51 out of 85 fragments are Randama raandam and 34 Tamarix sp. Bronze age construction wood (901 pieces analyzed) consists mostly of Tamarix sp. Luminous sticks used in a Bronze age mine are Juniperus phoenicea, exclusively. The Bronze age charcoal spectrum (860 pieces) contains a high number of trees. The criteria for the selection of different woods by man are discussed. Moreover, the recent vegandation of the environment of the sites is described briefly. From the quantitative analysis of the charcoals taken from the slag dumps of copper smelting it Is possible to draw conclusions on the ancient vegandation. The use of large quantities of Juniperus phoenicea and other tree species of higher altitudes during Bronze age suggests, for this region, a period that was more humid than today. © 1992 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.