Examining Fuel Use in Antiquity: Archaeobotanical and Anthracological Approaches in Southwest Asia

  • Alexia Smith Department of Anthropology, University of Connecticut, 354 Mansfield Road Unit 1176, Storrs, CT 06269.
  • Krista Dotzel Department of Anthropology, University of Connecticut, 354 Mansfield Road Unit 1176, Storrs, CT 06269.
  • Joyce Fountain Department of Anthropology, University of Connecticut, 354 Mansfield Road Unit 1176, Storrs, CT 06269. United States; Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield, Northgate House, West Street, Sheffield S1 4ET.
  • Lucas Proctor Department of Anthropology, University of Connecticut, 354 Mansfield Road Unit 1176, Storrs, CT 06269.
  • Madelynn von Baeyer Department of Anthropology, University of Connecticut, 354 Mansfield Road Unit 1176, Storrs, CT 06269.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14237/ebl.6.1.2015.416
Keywords: Archaeobotany, Anthracology, Dung and wood fuel economy, Southwest Asia

Abstract

This article considers the study of wood and dung fuel use in antiquity across Southwest Asia by anthracologists and archaeobotanists. In recent years, the socially conditioned nature of fuel use has been highlighted and many scholars are stressing the central importance of fuel to pre-modern societies as on par with subsistence and tool use. By elevating and unifying the study of ancient fuel through anthracological, archaeobotanical, geochemical, and micromorphological studies, detailed insights into cultural practices, decision making, and resource use in the past can be gained. We provide a brief review of studies examining ancient fuel use and reflect on the integration of wood and seed data where seed assemblages are indicative of dung fuel use.

Author Biographies

Alexia Smith, Department of Anthropology, University of Connecticut, 354 Mansfield Road Unit 1176, Storrs, CT 06269.

Alexia Smith is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Connecticut and heads the Archaeobotany Laboratory.

Krista Dotzel, Department of Anthropology, University of Connecticut, 354 Mansfield Road Unit 1176, Storrs, CT 06269.

Krista Dotzel is a Ph.D. student in Archaeology in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Connecticut.

Joyce Fountain, Department of Anthropology, University of Connecticut, 354 Mansfield Road Unit 1176, Storrs, CT 06269. United States; Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield, Northgate House, West Street, Sheffield S1 4ET.

Joyce Fountain is a M.Sc. student in Environmental Archaeology at the University of Sheffield.

Lucas Proctor, Department of Anthropology, University of Connecticut, 354 Mansfield Road Unit 1176, Storrs, CT 06269.

Lucas Proctor is a Ph.D. student in Archaeology in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Connecticut.

Madelynn von Baeyer, Department of Anthropology, University of Connecticut, 354 Mansfield Road Unit 1176, Storrs, CT 06269.
Madelynn von Baeyer is a Ph.D. student in Archaeology in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Connecticut.

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Ethnobiology Letters Cover, Volume 6, Issue 1, 2015
Published
2015-11-08
How to Cite
Smith, A., Dotzel, K., Fountain, J., Proctor, L., & von Baeyer, M. (2015). Examining Fuel Use in Antiquity: Archaeobotanical and Anthracological Approaches in Southwest Asia. Ethnobiology Letters, 6(1), 192-195. https://doi.org/10.14237/ebl.6.1.2015.416
Issue
Vol 6 No 1 (2015)
Section
Mini-Reviews

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