Abstract
The manipulation of fire is a technological act. The identification of the archaeological signatures of the controlled use of fire has important implications not only for the estimations of the origins and functions of the first fireplaces but also for our understanding of prehistoric technological development and resource use. At Riwi (Kimberley region, Western Australia), excavations over two field seasons have revealed a discontinuous occupation sequence over the past 45 ka, showing numerous, different combustion features interspersed within the deposit. Anthracological and micromorphological investigations at Riwi Cave indicate that the combustion features at the site can be categorised into three types: flat combustion features (type A), dug combustion features (type B) and thick accumulations of mixed combustion residues (type C). These provide evidence for two kinds of combustion practice: (i) fires lit directly on the ground and most likely not re-used and (ii) ground ovens, the latter appearing some 10,000 years after the first evidence for occupation of the site. A comparison of the wood species identified within these combustion features with those from equivalent scattered context levels, enables an exploration of the potential factors influencing wood selection and fire use through time at the site. A detailed understanding of the relationship between wood charcoal remains and archaeological context yields significant information on changes to environmental context and site occupation patterns over time.
Highlights
An essential component of the hunter-gatherer tool-kit, fire is a source of light, warmth, protection and an instrument for cooking, manufacturing equipment and altering the environment
Sediment and anthracological observations, combustion features in the Riwi sequence have been grouped into three different types (Fig. 4; Table 1): flat combustion features, dug combustion features and palimpsest of combustion features
While the Pleistocene layers are predominantly composed of geogenic particles, giving the sediment a strong orange hue within which combustion features are distinguishable, the Holocene deposit is grey because of the predominant proportion of combusted botanical residues (Figs. 2 and 3)
Summary
An essential component of the hunter-gatherer tool-kit, fire is a source of light, warmth, protection and an instrument for cooking, manufacturing equipment and altering the environment. Berna et al 2012; for a recent review on the evidence of human use and control of fire, see Goldberg et al 2017; Stahlschmidt et al 2015, pp. The most unambiguous signature for the habitual, controlled use of fire is the structured hearth, with the earliest evidence found in Qesem Cave in Israel, dated approximately to 400 ka (Karkanas et al 2007; Shahack-Gross et al 2014). The identification of the archaeological signatures of hearth-building processes has important implications for the estimation of the first controlled uses of fire and for understanding of prehistoric technological development and resource use. The study presented in this paper combines the latter two approaches, anthracology and micromorphology, to explore building processes of hearths from an Australian Indigenous archaeological context
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
