People and woodlands: an investigation of wood and charcoal remains as indicators of cultural selection and local environment in Prehistoric Ireland
Lorna O'Donnell
Supervisor: Dr. Rob Sands
Dr. Aidan O'Sullivan
Funded by:
Support in kind from Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd.
Abstract
Wood formed an integral part of Bronze Age life in Ireland, and was used for everything from domestic utensils to cremation pyres. This project aims to study patterns of wood selection through charcoal and wood analysis from Bronze Age sites. The work will concentrate on samples from funerary, habitation and fulachta fiadh sites in Ireland. The research will address questions such as the possible ritual nature of fuel selection for cremation pyres, the situation of fulachta fiadh and their likely relationship to settlement and preferences for construction timbers on habitation sites.
Charcoal and wood from archaeological sites can be used for environmental reconstruction. This is because it is presumed firewood and timbers will be collected from as close to the site as possible for convenience, and therefore should represent the local vegetation. Current sampling strategies used by archaeologists in the field will be evaluated during the course of the research, and the questions arising from the integration of environmental and archaeological results will be addressed. The project will be multi-disciplinary in its approach, integrating pollen diagrams, plant remains, coleopteran analysis, GIS and ethnographical information.
The research will contribute in various ways to our understanding of the prehistoric environment, peoples use and exploitation of woodland resources. It will examine social, cultural and practical aspects of wood selection in differing contexts. The work will also examine improvements in methodological approaches to charcoal and wood analysis, offering critical insights into the manner in which archaeologists and environmental specialists approach wood and charcoal in archaeological contexts.