Mobility, Seasonal Encampments, and Temporary Dwellings of Charcoal Burners: New Insights from an Ethnoarchaeological Study in Morocco

Abstract

ABSTRACT Pre-industrial economic activities related to the seasonal exploitation of forest resources, including charcoal production, are associated with temporary settlements and mobility in European and Mediterranean outlands. Because they have left few, ephemeral traces in the archaeological record, these temporary dwellings and the itinerant lifestyles associated with them are largely unknown. To better detect and interpret such remains, we conducted an ethnoarchaeological study in Morocco, where some charcoal burners still maintain an itinerant lifestyle. We first examine the types of seasonal temporary encampments of contemporary charcoal burners in two regional contrasting regions, Gharb and Middle Atlas. We then address three archaeological issues: 1) the individual variation and the skills and dispositions of charcoal burners in adapting the architecture and organization of their encampments, 2) the impact of natural and anthropogenic post-depositional processes on site formation, and 3) the difficulty of associating a temporary dwelling with a particular economic activity.