Study of Macrocharcoal Remains from Charcoal Interlayers at the Surungur Archaeological Site Depositions (Fergana Valley, Southern Kyrgyzstan)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14258/tpai(2022)34(1).-09Keywords:
Fergana Valley, Surungur, Holocene, macrocharcoal analysis, archaeological site, ash interlayersAbstract
The paper researches the adaptation of ancient people to climate change and their influence on the surrounding landscapes on the example of the Surungur archaeological site (Southern Kyrgyzstan). The charcoal interlayers from Surungur depositions (excavations of 2021) were studied by the method of macrocharcoal analysis. Charcoals of different types were found in the samples: wood, grass, charred bones and amorphous charcoals. Amorphous coals are coals without a visible ordered structure with inclusions of other type macrocharcoals and containing spherulites. Spherulites are spherical crystals of calcite (5–20 mkm) formed in large quantities in the digestive system of ruminants (cows, sheep, goats, deer), preserved during combustion and visible in polarized light under a microscope. Based on the reconstruction of the used fuel types and the comparison of the data on climate in different time periods, we can conclude that throughout the period of the sites’ existence, ancient people used all types of fuel. During periods of warm and humid climate, trees were readily available and wood was mainly used, while during periods of dry and cold climate dung and probably bones were used more.
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References
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Dedov I.E., Kulakova E.P., Shashkov M.V., Zhdanov A.A., Parkhomchuk E.V., Chargynov T., Shnaider S.V. A Multidisciplinary Study of Burnt Deposits at Surungur, Fergana Valley, Southern. Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia. 2021;4:24–36. https://doi.org/10.17746/1563-0110.2021.49.4.024-036
Enache M. D., Cumming B. F. Charcoal Morphotypes in Lake Sediments from British Columbia (Canada): an Assessment of Their Utility for the Reconstruction of Past Fire and Precipitation. Journal of Paleolimnology. 2007;38(3):347–363. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-006-9084-8
Farley G., Schneider L., Clark G., Haberle S.G. A Late Holocene Palaeoenvironmental Reconstruction of Ulong Island, Palau, from Starch Grain, Charcoal, and Geochemistry Analyses. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. 2018;22:248–256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2018.09.024
Florescu G., Vannière B., Feurdean A. Exploring the Influence of Local Controls on Fire Activity Using Multiple Charcoal Records from northern Romanian Carpathians. Quaternary International. 2018;488:41–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2018.03.042
Grimm E. CONISS: A FORTRAN 77 Program for Stratigraphically Constrained Cluster Analysis by the Methods of Incremental Sum of Squares. Comput. Geosci. 1987;13:13–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/0098-3004(87)90022-7
Grimm E. Tilia software 2.0.2. Springfield: Illinois State Museum Research and Collection Center, 2004.
Gur-Arieh S., Shahack-Gross R. Ash and Dung Calcitic Micro-remains. In: Handbook for the Analysis of Micro-Particles in Archaeological Samples. Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology. Springer : Cham, 2020. Pp. 117–147. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42622-4_6
Hather J.G. The Morphological and Anatomical Interpretation and Identification of Charred Vegetative Parenchymatous Plant Remains. PhD thesis. University of London, 1988. 640 p.
Henry A., Thery-Parisot I. Fuel Use and Management During the Mesolithic: Recent Approaches in Archaeobotany. Palethnologie. 2014;6. https://doi.org/10.4000/palethnologie.1304
Jensen K., Lynch E.A., Calcote R., Hotchkiss S.C. Interpretation of Charcoal Morphotypes in Sediments from Ferry Lake, Wisconsin, USA: do Different Plant Fuel Sources Produce Distinctive Charcoal morphotypes? The Holocene. 2007;17(7):907–915. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0959683607082405
Kaplan J.O., Krumhardt K.M., Zimmermann N. The Prehistoric and Preindustrial Deforestation of Europe. Quaternary Science Reviews. 2009;28(27–28):3016–3034. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2009.09.028
Krivoshapkin A., Shalagina A., Baumann M., Shnaider S., Kolobova K. Between Denisovans and Neanderthals: Strashnaya Cave in the Altai Mountains. Antiquity. 2018;92(365):E1.doi:10.15184/aqy.2018.221
Lioubimtseva E. Climate Change in Arid Environments: Revisiting the Past to Understand the Future. Progress in Physical Geography. 2004;28(4):502–530. https://doi.org/10.1191%2F0309133304pp422oa
Marquer L., Otto T., Nespoulet R., Chiotti L. A New Approach to Study the Fuel Used in Hearths by Hunter-Gatherers at the Upper Palaeolithic Site of Abri Pataud (Dordogne, France). Journal of Archaeological Science. 2010;37(11):2735–2746. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2010.06.009
Miller N.F. The Use of Dung as Fuel: An Ethnographic Example and an Archaeological Application. Paleorient. 1984;10-2:71–79.
Miller N.F., Smart T.L. Intentional Burning of Dung as Fuel: A Mechanism for the Incorporation of Charred Seeds into the Archaeological Record. Journal of Ethnobiology. 1984;4:5–28.
Mustaphi C.J.C., Pisaric M.F. A Classification for Macroscopic Charcoal Morphologies Found in Holocene Lacustrine Sediments. Progress in Physical Geography. 2014;38(6):734–754. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0309133314548886
Narama C. Late Holocene Variation of the Raigorodskogo Glacier and Climate Change in the Pamir–Alai, Central Asia. Catena. 2002;48(1–2):21–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0341-8162(02)00007-3
Portillo M., García-Suárez A., Matthews W. Livestock Faecal Indicators for Animal Management, Penning, Foddering and Dung Use in Early Agricultural Built Environments in the Konya Plain, Central Anatolia. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. 2020;2:1–15.https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-019-00988-0
Shahack-Gross R. Herbivorous Livestock Dung: Formation, Taphonomy, Methods for Identification, and Archaeological Significance. Journal of Archaeological Science. 2011;38(2):205–218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2010.09.019
Spengler R. Dung Burning in the Archaeobotanical Record of West Asia: where Are We Now? Vegetation History and Archaeobotany. 2019;28:215–227. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-018-0669-8
Tan L., Dong G., An Z., Edwards R.L., Li H., Li D., Spengler R., Cai Y., Cheng H., Lan J.,
Orozbaev R., Liu R., Xu H., Chen F. Megadrought and Cultural Exchange along the Proto-Silk Road. Science Bulletin. 2021;66(6):603–611. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scib.2020.10.011
Taylor W.T.T., Pruvost M., Posth C., Rendu W., Krajcarz M.T., Abdykanova A., Brancaleoni G., Spengler R., Hermes T., Schiavinato S., Hodgins G., Stahl R., Min J., Alisher Kyzy S., Fedorowicz S., Orlando L., Douka K., Krivoshapkin A., Jeong C., Warinner C., Shnaider S. Evidence for Early Dispersal of Domestic Sheep into Central Asia. Nature Human Behaviour. 2021;5:1169–1179. DOI: 10.1038/s41562-021-01083-y
Islamov U.I., Timofeev V.I. Stone Age Culture of Central Fergana. Tashkent : Izd-vo FAN Uzbekskoj SSR, 1986. 304 p. (In Russ.)
Kasymov M.R. Results of Archaeological Works in the Sokh River Valley in 1966–1967. In: History of Material Culture of Uzbekistan. Tashkent : Izd-vo Uzbekskoj SSR, 1972. Vol. 9. Pp. 16–20. (In Russ.)
Mel’nikova A.P. Climate Change in the Tien Shan in the Holocene and the Problem of Using the Spore-Pollen Spectra of the Central Asian Mountains. Izvestiya Rossijskoj akademii nauk. Seriya geograficheskaya = Proceedings of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Geographic Series. 2015;5:83–98. (In Russ.)
Olenchenko V.V., Cibizov L.V., Osipova P. S., Kozlova M.P., Shnaider S.V., Alisher kyzy S., Chargynov T. Results of Geophysical Research at the Surungur Site (Southern Kyrgyzstan). Problemy arheologii, etnografii, antropologii Sibiri i sopredel’nyh territorij = Problems of Archaeology, Ethnography, Anthropology of Siberia and Adjacent Territories. 2019;XXV:181–186. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.17746/2658-6193.2019.25.181-186
Shnaider S. V., Alisher kyzy S., Zhilich S. V., Fedorchenko A.Yu., Rendyu V., Parhomchuk E.V., Olenchenko V.V., Cibizov L.V., Zelenkov N.V., Chargynov T.T., Krivoshapkin A.I. Surungur, a New Site of the Final Pleistocene-Early Holocene in the Fergana Valley. Stratum Plus: Arheologiya i kul’turnaya antropologiya = Stratum Plus: Archaeology and Cultural Anthropology. 2021;2:319–337. (In Russ.)
Shukurov E.Dzh., Mitropol’skii O.V., Tal’skih V.N., Zholdubaeva L.Y., Shevchenko V.V. Atlas of Biodiversity of the Western Tien Shan. Bishkek : Central’noaziatskij Transgranichnyj Proekt GEF/VB. Regional’nyj otdel realizacii proekta, 2005. 101 p. (In Russ.)
Abramowski U., Bergau A., Seebach D., Zech R., Glaser B., Sosin P., Kubik W., Zech W. Pleistocene Glaciations of Central Asia: Results from 10Be Surface Exposure Ages of Erratic Boulders from the Pamir (Tajikistan), and the Alay–Turkestan Range (Kyrgyzstan). Quaternary Science Reviews. 2006;25(9-10):1080–1096. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2005.10.003
Bain A., Faucher A.M., Kennedy L.M., LeBlanc A.R., Burn M.J., Boger R., Perdikaris S. Landscape Transformation during Ceramic Age and Colonial Occupations of Barbuda, West Indies. Environmental Archaeology. 2018;23(1):36–46. https://doi.org/10.1080/14614103.2017.1345115
Beer R., Heiri O., Tinner W. Vegetation History, Fire History and Lake Development Recorded for 6300 Years by Pollen, Charcoal, Loss on Ignition and Chironomids at a Small Lake in Southern Kyrgyzstan (Alay Range, Central Asia). The Holocene. 2007;17(7):977–985. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683607082413
Beer R., Kaiser F., Schmidt K., Ammann B., Carraro G., Grisa E., Tinner W. Vegetation History of the Walnut Forests in Kyrgyzstan (Central Asia): Natural or Anthropogenic Origin? Quaternary Science Reviews. 2008;27(5–6):621–632. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2007.11.012
Beer R., Tinner W. Four Thousand Years of Vegetation and Fire History in the Spruce Forests of Northern Kyrgyzstan (Kungey Alatau, Central Asia). Vegetation History and Archaeobotany. 2008;17(6):629–638. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-008-0142-1
Braadbaart F., Brussel T., van Os B., Eijskoot Y. Fuel Remains in Archaeological Contexts: Experimental and Archaeological Evidence for Recognizing Remains in Hearths Used by Iron Age Farmers Who Lived in Peatlands. The Holocene. 2017;27(11):1682–1693. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0959683617702231
Braadbaart F., Reidsma F.H., Roebroeks W., Chiotti L., Slon V., Meyer M., Théry-Parisot I., van Hoesel A., Nierop K.G.J., Kaal J., van Os A., Marquer L. Heating Histories and Taphonomy of Ancient Fireplaces: A multi-Proxy Case Study from the Upper Palaeolithic Sequence of Abri Pataud (Les Eyzies-de-Tayac, France). Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. 2020;33:102468. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2020.102468
Dedov I.E., Kulakova E.P., Shashkov M.V., Zhdanov A.A., Parkhomchuk E.V., Chargynov T., Shnaider S.V. A Multidisciplinary Study of Burnt Deposits at Surungur, Fergana Valley, Southern. Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia. 2021;4:24–36. https://doi.org/10.17746/1563-0110.2021.49.4.024-036
Enache M. D., Cumming B. F. Charcoal Morphotypes in Lake Sediments from British Columbia (Canada): an Assessment of Their Utility for the Reconstruction of Past Fire and Precipitation. Journal of Paleolimnology. 2007;38(3):347–363. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-006-9084-8
Farley G., Schneider L., Clark G., Haberle S.G. A Late Holocene Palaeoenvironmental Reconstruction of Ulong Island, Palau, from Starch Grain, Charcoal, and Geochemistry Analyses. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. 2018;22:248–256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2018.09.024
Florescu G., Vannière B., Feurdean A. Exploring the Influence of Local Controls on Fire Activity Using Multiple Charcoal Records from northern Romanian Carpathians. Quaternary International. 2018;488:41–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2018.03.042
Grimm E. CONISS: A FORTRAN 77 Program for Stratigraphically Constrained Cluster Analysis by the Methods of Incremental Sum of Squares. Comput. Geosci. 1987;13:13–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/0098-3004(87)90022-7
Grimm E. Tilia software 2.0.2. Springfield: Illinois State Museum Research and Collection Center, 2004.
Gur-Arieh S., Shahack-Gross R. Ash and Dung Calcitic Micro-remains. In: Handbook for the Analysis of Micro-Particles in Archaeological Samples. Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology. Springer : Cham, 2020. Pp. 117–147. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42622-4_6
Hather J.G. The Morphological and Anatomical Interpretation and Identification of Charred Vegetative Parenchymatous Plant Remains. PhD thesis. University of London, 1988. 640 p.
Henry A., Thery-Parisot I. Fuel Use and Management During the Mesolithic: Recent Approaches in Archaeobotany. Palethnologie. 2014;6. https://doi.org/10.4000/palethnologie.1304
Jensen K., Lynch E.A., Calcote R., Hotchkiss S.C. Interpretation of Charcoal Morphotypes in Sediments from Ferry Lake, Wisconsin, USA: do Different Plant Fuel Sources Produce Distinctive Charcoal morphotypes? The Holocene. 2007;17(7):907–915. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0959683607082405
Kaplan J.O., Krumhardt K.M., Zimmermann N. The Prehistoric and Preindustrial Deforestation of Europe. Quaternary Science Reviews. 2009;28(27–28):3016–3034. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2009.09.028
Krivoshapkin A., Shalagina A., Baumann M., Shnaider S., Kolobova K. Between Denisovans and Neanderthals: Strashnaya Cave in the Altai Mountains. Antiquity. 2018;92(365):E1.doi:10.15184/aqy.2018.221
Lioubimtseva E. Climate Change in Arid Environments: Revisiting the Past to Understand the Future. Progress in Physical Geography. 2004;28(4):502–530. https://doi.org/10.1191%2F0309133304pp422oa
Marquer L., Otto T., Nespoulet R., Chiotti L. A New Approach to Study the Fuel Used in Hearths by Hunter-Gatherers at the Upper Palaeolithic Site of Abri Pataud (Dordogne, France). Journal of Archaeological Science. 2010;37(11):2735–2746. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2010.06.009
Miller N.F. The Use of Dung as Fuel: An Ethnographic Example and an Archaeological Application. Paleorient. 1984;10-2:71–79.
Miller N.F., Smart T.L. Intentional Burning of Dung as Fuel: A Mechanism for the Incorporation of Charred Seeds into the Archaeological Record. Journal of Ethnobiology. 1984;4:5–28.
Mustaphi C.J.C., Pisaric M.F. A Classification for Macroscopic Charcoal Morphologies Found in Holocene Lacustrine Sediments. Progress in Physical Geography. 2014;38(6):734–754. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0309133314548886
Narama C. Late Holocene Variation of the Raigorodskogo Glacier and Climate Change in the Pamir–Alai, Central Asia. Catena. 2002;48(1–2):21–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0341-8162(02)00007-3
Portillo M., García-Suárez A., Matthews W. Livestock Faecal Indicators for Animal Management, Penning, Foddering and Dung Use in Early Agricultural Built Environments in the Konya Plain, Central Anatolia. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. 2020;2:1–15.https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-019-00988-0
Shahack-Gross R. Herbivorous Livestock Dung: Formation, Taphonomy, Methods for Identification, and Archaeological Significance. Journal of Archaeological Science. 2011;38(2):205–218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2010.09.019
Spengler R. Dung Burning in the Archaeobotanical Record of West Asia: where Are We Now? Vegetation History and Archaeobotany. 2019;28:215–227. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-018-0669-8
Tan L., Dong G., An Z., Edwards R.L., Li H., Li D., Spengler R., Cai Y., Cheng H., Lan J.,
Orozbaev R., Liu R., Xu H., Chen F. Megadrought and Cultural Exchange along the Proto-Silk Road. Science Bulletin. 2021;66(6):603–611. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scib.2020.10.011
Taylor W.T.T., Pruvost M., Posth C., Rendu W., Krajcarz M.T., Abdykanova A., Brancaleoni G., Spengler R., Hermes T., Schiavinato S., Hodgins G., Stahl R., Min J., Alisher Kyzy S., Fedorowicz S., Orlando L., Douka K., Krivoshapkin A., Jeong C., Warinner C., Shnaider S. Evidence for Early Dispersal of Domestic Sheep into Central Asia. Nature Human Behaviour. 2021;5:1169–1179. DOI: 10.1038/s41562-021-01083-y
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2022-04-04
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FOREIGN ARCHAEOLOGY
How to Cite
Study of Macrocharcoal Remains from Charcoal Interlayers at the Surungur Archaeological Site Depositions (Fergana Valley, Southern Kyrgyzstan). (2022). THEORY AND PRACTICE OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 34(1), 163-180. https://doi.org/10.14258/tpai(2022)34(1).-09
