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Technologies for the control of heat and light in the Vézère valley Aurignacian

White, Randall ; Mensan, Romain ; Clark, Amy E. ; Tartar, Elise ; Marquer, Laurent LU ; Bourrillon, Raphaëlle ; Goldberg, Paul ; Chiotti, Laurent ; Cretin, Catherine and Rendu, William , et al. (2017) In Current Anthropology 58. p.288-302
Abstract

We can trace the beginnings of our knowledge of early Upper Paleolithic (Aurignacian) use of fire to the pioneering 1910–1911 excavations at Abri Blanchard undertaken by Louis Didon and Marcel Castanet. At Blanchard, the excavators recognized and described fire structures that correspond in many ways to features excavated more recently in Western and Central Europe. Here, we address the issue of heat and light management in the early Upper Paleolithic, demonstrating a pattern that builds on these early excavations but that is refined through our recent field operations. Topics to be discussed include (1) recently excavated fire structures that suggest complex fire management and use, (2) the seemingly massive use of bone as fuel in most... (More)

We can trace the beginnings of our knowledge of early Upper Paleolithic (Aurignacian) use of fire to the pioneering 1910–1911 excavations at Abri Blanchard undertaken by Louis Didon and Marcel Castanet. At Blanchard, the excavators recognized and described fire structures that correspond in many ways to features excavated more recently in Western and Central Europe. Here, we address the issue of heat and light management in the early Upper Paleolithic, demonstrating a pattern that builds on these early excavations but that is refined through our recent field operations. Topics to be discussed include (1) recently excavated fire structures that suggest complex fire management and use, (2) the seemingly massive use of bone as fuel in most early Aurignacian sites, and (3) the anchoring of skin structures for purposes of heat retention with fireplaces behind animal-skin walls. Furthermore, new data on activities around fireplaces make it possible to infer social and organizational aspects of fire structures within Aurignacian living spaces. The vast majority of early Aurignacian occupations, most of them now dated to between 33,000 and 32,000 BP (uncalibrated), occurred on a previously unoccupied bedrock platform into which the occupants dug their fire features.

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publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Current Anthropology
volume
58
pages
288 - 302
publisher
University of Chicago Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:85029543169
  • wos:000407900400012
ISSN
0011-3204
DOI
10.1086/692708
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
04632e54-c477-45dd-bd80-27c9508d2369
date added to LUP
2017-10-05 10:22:43
date last changed
2024-07-08 02:04:43
@article{04632e54-c477-45dd-bd80-27c9508d2369,
  abstract     = {{<p>We can trace the beginnings of our knowledge of early Upper Paleolithic (Aurignacian) use of fire to the pioneering 1910–1911 excavations at Abri Blanchard undertaken by Louis Didon and Marcel Castanet. At Blanchard, the excavators recognized and described fire structures that correspond in many ways to features excavated more recently in Western and Central Europe. Here, we address the issue of heat and light management in the early Upper Paleolithic, demonstrating a pattern that builds on these early excavations but that is refined through our recent field operations. Topics to be discussed include (1) recently excavated fire structures that suggest complex fire management and use, (2) the seemingly massive use of bone as fuel in most early Aurignacian sites, and (3) the anchoring of skin structures for purposes of heat retention with fireplaces behind animal-skin walls. Furthermore, new data on activities around fireplaces make it possible to infer social and organizational aspects of fire structures within Aurignacian living spaces. The vast majority of early Aurignacian occupations, most of them now dated to between 33,000 and 32,000 BP (uncalibrated), occurred on a previously unoccupied bedrock platform into which the occupants dug their fire features.</p>}},
  author       = {{White, Randall and Mensan, Romain and Clark, Amy E. and Tartar, Elise and Marquer, Laurent and Bourrillon, Raphaëlle and Goldberg, Paul and Chiotti, Laurent and Cretin, Catherine and Rendu, William and Pike-Tay, Anne and Ranlett, Sarah}},
  issn         = {{0011-3204}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{288--302}},
  publisher    = {{University of Chicago Press}},
  series       = {{Current Anthropology}},
  title        = {{Technologies for the control of heat and light in the Vézère valley Aurignacian}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/692708}},
  doi          = {{10.1086/692708}},
  volume       = {{58}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}