Charcoal Evidence Research Articles

Tree demographics and soil charcoal evidence of fire disturbances in an inaccessible forest atop the Mount Lico inselberg, Mozambique

Tree demographics and soil charcoal evidence of fire disturbances in an inaccessible forest atop the Mount Lico inselberg, Mozambique

Prehistoric Landscape Development and Romano-British Farming near Rossington, South Yorkshire

In 2016–2017 Wessex Archaeology undertook excavations between Rossington and Doncaster in South Yorkshire prior to the development of a strategic rail freight interchange. The earliest evidence related to peat formation within two different parts of the site, with a pair of sequences radiocarbon dated to between the Mesolithic period and the Bronze Age. Pollen preserved within the peat provides evidence for woodland development over this period, with no clear signs of any contemporary human impacts on the palynological record. The majority of the archaeological evidence relates to the Romano-British period, when the site contained settlement/farming enclosures and fields used for grazing and cultivation. Archeologically detectable activity was focussed on the enclosures; a stone-built ‘T’-shaped crop-dryer reveals malt production was undertaken in one. The animal bone is relatively informative when compared to regional norms and this evidence, which is accompanied by the results of the analysis of organic residues within the pottery assemblage, suggests a husbandry strategy focussed on cattle carcase products, with some dairying. Charcoal evidence and charred/waterlogged plant remains reveal further information on the agricultural economy of the site including aspects such as crops grown, fuel use and the local environment. The finds assemblage from the site is also relatively rich for the area; such a reasonable degree of integration with the economy of the wider Roman province may have been facilitated by the close proximity of a villa at Stancil.

Charcoal evidence traces diverse fungal metabolic strategies to the Late Paleozoic

Wood decomposition through fungal activity is essential to the natural carbon cycle. There are three primary patterns of wood decay: white rot, brown rot, and soft rot. However, geological records of wood decay mainly originate from fossil woods, which exclusively describe white rot before the Cenozoic. Fossilized charcoal is another excellent medium for preserving pre-charring decay structures. In this study, we collected numerous charcoals from the upper Permian and observed multiple microstructures indicative of wood decay. The distinctive characteristics closely resemble the symptoms of contemporary wood-rotting types, including the removal of the middle lamella and channel-like lysis seen in white rot, shot-like holes and wavy cell walls in brown rot, and cavities within the secondary walls in soft rot. This study documents the early occurrences of multiple wood-rotting types during the Late Paleozoic and provides insights into the range of fungal metabolic strategies employed during this period.

New charcoal evidence at the onset of MIS 4: First insights into fuel management and the local landscape at De Nadale cave (northeastern Italy)

Archaeological evidence of Middle Palaeolithic sites in Europe dating to MIS 4 remains very scarce compared to those belonging to previous (MIS 5) and later (MIS 3) periods. Of the few documented, a very low number have provided anthracological data reflecting the local landscape and fuel gathering strategies during MIS 4 Neanderthal occupations. This factor especially limits our knowledge of local landscape dynamics and the climatic conditions where these human occupations occurred. In this paper we contribute to this context through charcoal data from De Nadale cave, a single-layered Mousterian site located in northeastern Italy (Berici Hills area) and dated to 70.2 + 1/−0.9 ka BP. Anthracological data suggests the preferential use of spruce / larch (Picea - Larix) as firewood together with cryophilous pines (Pinus tp. sylvestris) and birch (Betula sp.) indicating prevailing harsh climatic conditions. Additional analysis focused on taphonomic features affecting charcoal point out to advance decay evidence prior to charring caused by fungi and insects. Although further data is needed, our results provide complementary information agreeing with the faunal spectrum, the small mammals assemblage and the nearby terrestrial pollen sequences

Charcoal evidence for environmental change ca. 3.5 ka and its influence on ancient people in the West Liao River Basin of northeastern China

Abstract Fossil charcoals from archaeological sites provide direct evidence for the relationship between environmental change and ancient peoples’ livelihoods in the past. Our identification of 5811 fossil charcoal fragments from 84 samples suggested temperate deciduous and mixed conifer-broadleaved forests as the dominant vegetation at the Erdaojingzi site in northeastern China ca. 3500 cal yr BP; the major representative taxa were Quercus, Pinus, and Ulmus. Four woody plants probably supplied humans with food resources at the Erdaojingzi site, including Quercus, Ulmus, Amygdalus/Armeniaca, and Ziziphus. The nuts of Quercus were utilized as staple foods because of their rich starch content. The leaves of Ulmus may have been used by humans because of their massive dietary fibre. Amygdalus/Armeniaca and Ziziphus probably provided fruits for humans. Based on the coexistence approach (CA) used on the fossil charcoals, we found that the MAT anomaly was 7.9 ± 5.9°C at ca. 3500 cal yr BP, which is almost the same as the modern one (7.8°C), while the MAP was halved from 772 ± 301 mm at ca. 3500 cal yr BP to 370 mm currently. The wet climate might have facilitated significant development of rain-fed agriculture, promoted the emergence of large settlements, and eventually facilitated the birth of civilization.

Organic matter from the Chicxulub crater exacerbated the K–Pg impact winter

An asteroid impact in the Yucatán Peninsula set off a sequence of events that led to the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction of 76% species, including the nonavian dinosaurs. The impact hit a carbonate platform and released sulfate aerosols and dust into Earth's upper atmosphere, which cooled and darkened the planet-a scenario known as an impact winter. Organic burn markers are observed in K-Pg boundary records globally, but their source is debated. If some were derived from sedimentary carbon, and not solely wildfires, it implies soot from the target rock also contributed to the impact winter. Characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the Chicxulub crater sediments and at two deep ocean sites indicate a fossil carbon source that experienced rapid heating, consistent with organic matter ejected during the formation of the crater. Furthermore, PAH size distributions proximal and distal to the crater indicate the ejected carbon was dispersed globally by atmospheric processes. Molecular and charcoal evidence indicates wildfires were also present but more delayed and protracted and likely played a less acute role in biotic extinctions than previously suggested. Based on stratigraphy near the crater, between 7.5 × 1014 and 2.5 × 1015 g of black carbon was released from the target and ejected into the atmosphere, where it circulated the globe within a few hours. This carbon, together with sulfate aerosols and dust, initiated an impact winter and global darkening that curtailed photosynthesis and is widely considered to have caused the K-Pg mass extinction.

Mid‐Cretaceous Hothouse Climate and the Expansion of Early Angiosperms

AbstractThe remarkable transition of early angiosperms from a small to a dominant group characterized the terrestrial ecosystem of the Cretaceous. This transition was instigated and promoted by environmental changes. Mid‐Cretaceous is characterized by major geological events that affected the global environment. δ18O, palaeothermometer TEX86, and other climatic indices from marine sediments suggest rapid temperature increase during mid‐Cretaceous despite occasional short cooling events. Simultaneously, terrestrial deposits in East Asia changed from coal‐bearing to shale, then to red beds and evaporites. Plant assemblages and other paleoclimate indicators point to rapid aridification for mid‐Cretaceous terrestrial environments. In addition, the wildfires were frequently spread all over the earth by the numerous charcoal evidence during the Mid‐Cretaceous. Thus, we speculate that the seasonally dry and hot conditions of mid‐Cretaceous created a fiery hothouse world. Early angiosperms increased in abundance and diversity and evolved from a few aquatic species to terrestrial herbaceous and then to the diversified flora of today. Angiosperms showed rapid physiological evolution in vein density and leaf area that improved photosynthesis and water absorption. These ecophysiological changes made early angiosperms well adapted to the hot and dry environment in mid‐Cretaceous. Moreover, these physiological changes facilitated the fire–angiosperm cycles in mid‐Cretaceous that likely further stimulated the early angiosperm evolution.

Fruit collection and early evidence for horticulture in the Hexi Corridor, NW China, based on charcoal evidence

The reconstruction of fruit collection and cultivation based on plant remains plays an important role in understanding the subsistence strategies of ancient societies. Here, we report the identification of fossil charcoal from eight sites in the Hexi Corridor to give a clue to the early exploitation of fruit resources in the period 2300–400 bc. Charcoal assemblages show that millet farmers may have collected some tree fruits including bird cherry (Padus sp.), pear (Pyrus sp.) and whitebeam (Sorbus sp.) in the period 2300–2000 bc. From 2000 to 1500 bc there was continuing utilization of Padus sp., Sorbus sp. and cotoneaster (Cotoneaster sp.), at a time when cereal agriculture of wheat and barley had been introduced from outside. Based on analysis of ecological distribution, reproductive biology and the history of utilization, we infer that these fruits were gathered from the wild rather than cultivated. Later, the cultivation of non-native mulberry (Morus alba) began around 1500 bc in the context of an established high-yield wheat agriculture, probably indicating the earliest sign of horticulture in the Hexi Corridor. As with the beginning of agriculture, the horticulture is associated with cultivation of non-native species. In short, the variations in the presence of charred wood of fruit trees indicate that people might have collected wild fruits over a period of time, and that horticulture occurred much later than the spread of a variety of cereal and other crops in the Hexi Corridor.

The impact of mining on the woody vegetation of the southern Andes: a study of charcoal from the Andean Precordillera in central western Argentina in the 18th and 19th centuries

Mining has played an important role in the generation of economic wealth since colonial times in South America. However, the impact of historical mining on the environment has not been studied in detail. In view of this, and based on the analysis of archaeological and modern wood data, we discuss the impact of historical mining and human occupation on the woody vegetation of an arid region in the southern Andes. We present the results of the analysis of archaeobotanical charcoal remains recovered from the “Los Hornillos” mining site located in the Andean Precordillera, northwestern Mendoza Province, Argentina. The archaeobotanical materials date from the late 18th to the early 19th century. Based upon wood anatomy, 60% of charcoal fragments were associated with Adesmia cf. uspallatensis, a shrub widely distributed there. We assessed the impact and legacy of human occupation on local and regional plant communities based on charcoal evidence, archaeological data and the age of living A. uspallatensis shrubs growing around the mining site. This analysis allowed us to determine the rate of growth of this species (1.22 mm per year) and mean maximum ages of around 70 years. Therefore, the current development of woody communities in this area is thought to be representative of recovery after historical mining and occupation across the Andean Precordillera and suggests that obtaining firewood for mining activities constituted an important factor influencing past natural vegetation dynamics.

The Anthropogenic Use of Firewood During the European Middle Pleistocene: Charcoal Evidence from Levels XIII and XI of Bolomor Cave, Eastern Iberia (230–160 ka)

ABSTRACTHuman control of fire is a widely debated issue in the field of Palaeolithic archaeology, since it involved significant technological innovations for human subsistence. Although fire evidence has been the subject of intense debate regarding its natural or anthropogenic nature, most authors agree that combustion structures represent the most direct evidence of human control of fire. Wood charcoal fragments from these contexts represent the fuel remains that result from humans’ collection of firewood, which means they can reveal significant behavioural and palaeoenvironmental information relevant to our understanding of Middle Palaeolithic societies. In this work, we present anthracological data derived from combustion structure 2 (level XIII, ca. 230 ka, MIS 7) and combustion structure 4 (level XI, ca. 160 ka, MIS 6) from Bolomor Cave, which are chronologically among the earliest combustion structures found in Europe. The present work discusses how the presence of black pine and / or scots pine in both levels sheds light on the characterisation of the local landscape. Additional analyses focussing on the pre- and post-depositional processes affecting charcoal preservation point to biodegradation patterns. The aim of this work is to provide the first discussion concerning the anthracological data derived from Bolomor Cave in order to contribute to the general debate regarding the use of fire during the European Middle Pleistocene.

Presence of charcoal as evidence of paleofires in the Claromecó Basin, Permian of Gondwana, Argentina: Diagenetic and paleoenvironment analysis based on coal petrography studies

The PANG0001 well, situated in the Claromecó Basin, Argentina, involves rocks that belong to the Tunas Formation [29], Permian of Gondwana. It is composed of fine to medium sandstones intercalating with black and green mudrocks and three coal seams up to 3 m thick. In the coals, a petrographic analysis was carried out to analyze the depositional environment and the diagenesis level reached by the Tunas Formation. The coals are composed of mono-maceral bands of Collotelinite and Gelinite, from the Vitrinite Group, or Fusinite, from the Inertinite Group. They were deposited in a wet swampy forest with rises and decreases of the phreatic level. The presence of inertinite or charcoal evidence the occurrence of palaeo-fires during the Permian. The vitrinite reflectance values are between 1.3% and 2.38%. The coals classify as semiantracitic to low volatile bituminous, with 10 to 25% of volatile matter. The vitrinite reflectance values indicate temperatures between 140 °C and 190 °C. The Tunas Formation reaches the oil to methane gas window, into a catagenesis to metagenesis range related to the organic matter diagenesis. Coal petrography is a good method for the environment and diagenesis analyses applied to the Tunas Formation.

Charcoal evidence that rising atmospheric oxygen terminated Early Jurassic ocean anoxia

The Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE) was characterized by a major disturbance to the global carbon(C)-cycle, and depleted oxygen in Earth’s oceans resulting in marine mass extinction. Numerical models predict that increased organic carbon burial should drive a rise in atmospheric oxygen (pO2) leading to termination of an OAE after ∼1 Myr. Wildfire is highly responsive to changes in pO2 implying that fire-activity should vary across OAEs. Here we test this hypothesis by tracing variations in the abundance of fossil charcoal across the T-OAE. We report a sustained ∼800 kyr enhancement of fire-activity beginning ∼1 Myr after the onset of the T-OAE and peaking during its termination. This major enhancement of fire occurred across the timescale of predicted pO2 variations, and we argue this was primarily driven by increased pO2. Our study provides the first fossil-based evidence suggesting that fire-feedbacks to rising pO2 may have aided in terminating the T-OAE.

Dead wood gathering among Neanderthal groups: Charcoal evidence from Abric del Pastor and El Salt (Eastern Iberia)

We present here a new approach combining the microscopic characterization of fungal decay features and the fragmentation degree of the charcoal remains from Middle Palaeolithic combustion structures: features H4 and H11 from Abric del Pastor, unit IV (>75 ka BP) and features H50 and H57 from El Salt, unit Xb (ca. 52 ka BP), Eastern Iberia. The observation of wood degradation patterns that occurred prior to charring followed by their quantitative analysis according to previous experimental studies revealed differences between the alteration degrees of the firewood used in the hearths, highlighting the existence of firewood acquisition criteria based on dead wood gathering and also suggesting smoke-related functions. Coupled with fragmentation analyses, this method highlighted possible post-depositional processes affecting the higher degraded charcoals. These results lead us to propose a quantitative analysis of the fungal decay patterns on Middle Palaeolithic charcoal reinforcing the previous hypotheses about dead wood gathering among Neanderthal groups as an accessible and available resource in the surroundings. These data have significant implications for the interpretation of firewood use and management by Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers which was traditionally defined as an opportunistic activity according to the absence of selection criteria based on specific taxa.

Domestic and ritual use of plants and fuels in the neolithic cave of Alepotrypa, southern Peloponnese, Greece: The wood charcoal and phytolith evidence

The study presents the combined results of wood charcoal and phytolith analysis at Alepotrypa Cave, southern Peloponnese, Greece. The cave preserves rich cultural remains (hearth and floor constructions, pits and platforms, human bone scatters, massive quantities of fine pottery, lithic artefacts and ornaments) spanning the late Early to the Final Neolithic. The studied macro and micro-remains come from two distinct areas of the cave, the anterior chamber (close to the entrance of the cave) and the interior chambers (including a small fresh water lake), which, as has been suggested by several lines of evidence (analyses of cultural remains, human bones and micromorphology), were used for domestic and ritualistic purposes respectively. The aim of this study is two-fold: a) to investigate the local vegetation, and woodland management, b) to understand the use of plants and use of space along the habitation history of the cave exploring the possibility of a domestic setting for the anterior chamber and a ritualistic one for the interior. Wood charcoal and phytolith analyses support the two modes of usage; different fuel types in the hearths of the interior and anterior chambers of the cave along with different activities are documented. The anterior preserves well prepared clay floors and platforms with some cereal remains indicating light processing or consumption. The hearths in this area were fed with leafy branches from the open vegetation of the surrounding rocky slopes that included various scrub plants and scattered drought-resistant trees. Τhrough time and probably as a response to increased demand due to more frequent and longer-lasting use of the cave, neolithic people expanded their fuel-procurement activities to nearby evergreen woodland and deciduous oak thickets. By contrast the interior preserves evidence of ritualistic activities supported by the use of selected types of fuel, i.e. composted sheep dung along with firewood from scrub vegetation and small diameter wood of Fabaceae, Cistus sp. and Phillyrea/Rhamnus alaternus. The excellent burning qualities of composted dung and the ease of transportation of such material as well as of the small size firewood would explain their preferential use in the interior chambers where access was exceptionally difficult. Nevertheless, the slow-burning glow and smell of dung under the light of Pinus nigra resinous wood torches may have enhanced the powerfully evocative atmosphere of the interior chambers serving ritual purposes.

Reconsidering the MSA to LSA transition at Taforalt Cave (Morocco) in the light of new multi-proxy dating evidence

Amongst the least well-defined periods in North African prehistoric archaeology is the interval between ∼40 and 20 ka BP. This encompasses a phase (or phases) of major technological change which archaeologists describe as the MSA (Middle Stone Age) to LSA (Later Stone Age) transition. The nature of this transition is complicated by the fact that few sites spanning this period have been the object of modern scientific study. Two exceptions are the caves of Taforalt (Morocco) and the Haua Fteah (Libya) which have each been systematically excavated in the last decade and have yielded datable sequences that provide fresh light on the nature of the transition. In this paper we describe the results of new work at Taforalt and suggest that considerable variation exists across the region, in comparison with sites like the Haua Fteah. Initial results are also given on the rich charred plant remains (likely food residues) and wood charcoal evidence from the younger MSA layers dating to ∼27 ka BP.

Forest fire dynamics during the early and middle Holocene along the southern North Sea basin as shown by charcoal evidence from burnt ant nests

Based on a dataset of 434 radiocarbon dates and charcoal data from burnt abandoned ant nests which were formerly interpreted as Mesolithic hearth-pits, the correlation between short periods of abrupt climatic cooling and increased forest fires during the early and middle Holocene is studied. Despite dating calibration limits, the results indicate a clear synchronicity between the 9.3 ka event and widespread and repeated forest fires which occurred in a coniferous woodland environment dominated by Pinus sylvestris (pine). It is argued that the cold and dry climatic conditions resulted in an overall desiccation of pines, which became prone to wildfires. A similar correlation is tentatively suggested for the 8.2 ka event, though changing climate first affected vegetation by reintroducing pines followed by increased wildfires. Indications of forest fires possibly caused by humans only appear around 6,400/6,200 uncal bp, corresponding to the final stage of hunter-gatherers along the southern North Sea basin.

Bronze age fuel use and its implications for agrarian landscapes in the eastern Mediterranean

We compare carbonized seeds and charcoal excavated from four Bronze Age settlements in the eastern Mediterranean to infer distinctions in fuel use and the exploitation of woody vegetation amid developing anthropogenic landscapes. Charcoal evidence generally implicates combustion of fuel wood, while burned seeds commonly result from dung fuel use. Varying fuel consumption profiles reflect the availability of woody vegetation and cultivation practices that reveal temporal and geographical dynamics on Bronze Age agrarian landscapes. In the farmlands of the northern Jordan Valley, villagers at Early Bronze Tell Abu en-Nia‘j and subsequently at Middle Bronze Tell el-Hayyat relied heavily on dung for their fuel needs, supplemented by burning of orchard prunings and to a lesser extent wood from nearby riparian vegetation. In this agrarian setting, limited availability of forest resources engendered exploitation of the highest diversities of cultivated crops, weedy species and woody plants. The village of Zahrat adh-Dhra‘1 (contemporaneous with Tell el-Hayyat) on the arid, sparsely populated Dead Sea Plain relied less on dung fuel, and similarly harvested wood from orchards, while also utilizing the desert trees Acacia and Tamarix. Fuel use at Politiko-Troullia, Cyprus suggests ready access to Pinus and Quercus forests, and burning of Olea wood from nearby orchards, associated with little dung fuel use and the lowest taxonomic diversity of fuel sources among these four Bronze Age communities. The range of evidence for fuel use at these settlements reflects varying exploitation strategies based on plant resources and animal management in agrarian countrysides, as well as the larger influences of urbanized or non-urbanized society during the development of Bronze Age anthropogenic landscapes.

Pre-Columbian land use in the ring-ditch region of the Bolivian Amazon

The nature and extent of pre-Columbian (pre-AD 1492) human impact in Amazonia is a contentious issue. The Bolivian Amazon has yielded some of the most impressive evidence for large and complex pre-Columbian societies in the Amazon basin, yet there remains relatively little data concerning the land use of these societies over time. Palaeoecology, when integrated with archaeological data, has the potential to fill these gaps in our knowledge. We present a 6000-year record of anthropogenic burning, agriculture and vegetation change, from an oxbow lake located adjacent to a pre-Columbian ring ditch in north-east Bolivia (13°15′44″S, 63°42′37″W). Human occupation around the lake site is inferred from pollen and phytoliths of maize ( Zea mays L.) and macroscopic charcoal evidence of anthropogenic burning. First occupation around the lake was radiocarbon dated to ~2500 calibrated years before present (BP). The persistence of maize in the record from ~1850 BP suggests that it was an important crop grown in the ring-ditch region in pre-Columbian times, and abundant macroscopic charcoal suggests that pre-Columbian land management entailed more extensive burning of the landscape than the slash-and-burn agriculture practised around the site today. The site was occupied continuously until near-modern times, although there is evidence for a decline in agricultural intensity or change in land-use strategy, and possible population decline, from ~600–500 BP. The long and continuous occupation, which predates the establishment of rainforest in the region, suggests that pre-Columbian land use may have had a significant influence on ecosystem development at this site over the last ~2000 years.

Harvesting the ‘wild’? Exploring the context of fruit and nut exploitation at Neolithic Dikili Tash, with special reference to wine

The relationship between farming communities in south-eastern Europe and wild plant resources, fruit and nut trees in particular, is explored in this paper, based on charred plant remains from House 1 at late Neolithic Dikili Tash in eastern Macedonia, northern Greece, retrieved between 2010 and 2012. Within the rubble of a burnt destruction level dated to the second half of the 5th millennium cal BC, a wide range of cultivated crops like cereals, pulses and flax were stored together with a variety of fruit and nuts, such as acorns, wild pears, grapes, including grape pips and grape pressings and possibly figs, too. These finds provide a rare opportunity to investigate the use of fruit as well as the origins and context of wine making and consumption in the Neolithic of south-eastern Europe. Human interference with natural vegetation in relation to use of wild trees is discussed in light of the archaeobotanical, palynological and charcoal evidence from the wider area of the site. It is suggested that the remains from Dikili Tash may be pointing towards some early form of arboriculture in the region. The interplay of wild and domesticated plant resources encountered at the site is discussed within the framework of established oppositions between ‘wild’ and ‘domesticated’ in archaeological discourse. It is suggested that fruit and nut use at Dikili Tash might correspond to old traditions dating back to the hunter-gatherers of south-eastern Europe while wine, for which there is evidence at the site, might have acted as a mediator between human communities, cultivated landscapes and wild vegetation, inducing altered states of consciousness and cultivated/wild boundary transitions.

Late Holocene persistence of Abies alba in low‐mid altitude deciduous forests of central and southern Italy: new perspectives from charcoal data

AbstractQuestionsPollen data for Abies alba Mill., a key European tree species, show broad occurrence in the Italian peninsula in the early to mid‐Holocene diffusion (until ca. 6000 yr ago) along the Italian peninsula and a strong decline/local extinction starting ca. 5000 yr ago. This decline has been attributed to climate change. Recently, high‐resolution pollen studies, mainly in northern Italian sites claim that A. alba disappearance was mainly due to human impact. We examined the presence of A. alba in archaeological sites of southern and central Italy in order to trace the late Holocene history (last 3000 yr) of this tree and enhance understanding of its role in pre‐anthropic vegetation and of human involvement in its decline.LocationCentral and southern Italy.MethodsAnthracological analysis was conducted in six archaeological layers at the archaeological site of Trebbio‐Spinellina (800–600 BC, Sansepolcro, Tuscany). A critical analysis of wood/charcoal literature relevant to Abies in central and southern Italy was used to corroborate the results of Trebbio‐Spinellina. Charcoal records from archaeological sites have been compared with the current distribution of A. alba.ResultsAt Trebbio‐Spinellina, A. alba charcoal is present in all contexts examined, together with mesophilous broad‐leaf taxa (Quercus deciduous, Carpinus betulus, Ostrya carpinifolia, Corylus avellana). A low charcoal percentage of Fagus sylvatica and Taxus baccata is also found; evergreen taxa are mainly represented by Quercus ilex with occasional shrubs (i.e. Viburnum, Cistus, Erica). In the literature, we identified several peninsular and insular Italian archaeological sites showing charcoal evidence of Abies, accompanied by deciduous oaks, mainly Q. cerris, and other broad‐leaf mesophilous trees, dating from the Iron Age to the Middle Ages. All sites, except one, lie at less than 600 m a.s.l., and far from present‐day A. alba communities.ConclusionResults call for a reworking of the prevailing paradigm of A. alba as a relic mountain species. Indeed, A. alba once grew at lower altitudes than currently and was associated with deciduous oaks, mainly Q. cerris, and other mesophilous broad‐leaf trees. This evidence calls into question the suitability of the Potential Natural Vegetation (PNV) concept usually applied in the floristic approach. The recent population decline is attributable to human activity rather than to climate change. Finally, the persistence of A. alba until the late Holocene calls into question the assumptions that it is a relic species with no potential to expand its spatial range.