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The Effects of Fire on Archaeological Soils and Sediments: Temperature and Colour Relationships

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 February 2014

M.G. Canti  and
N. Linford
N. Linford
Affiliation:
Ancient Monuments Laboratory, English Heritage, Fort Cumberland, Fort Cumberland Road, Eastney, Portsmouth PO4
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Abstract

Although fire is a fundamental building block of interpretation, details of its effect on archaeological substrates are still poorly understood. The key questions, from an interpretative point of view, are the level of heating produced in the soil underneath different fires and the degree of reddening preserved in the final stratigraphy. This paper explores these questions by examination of previous studies and through a series of instrumented experimental fires. We conclude that, although there is some variation, temperatures beneath most surface-built fires remain below 500° C and reddening of the soil happens only rarely. These two generalisations are, however, linked in a complex way which is not fully clarified. Some sediments redden dramatically at temperatures commonly found under the experimental fires and in the literature on soil heating, while others fail to redden even at significantly higher temperatures. These ‘anomalies’ could relate to either organic matter content or chemical variations affecting the progress of the iron oxide transformations that lead to soil reddening.

Résumé

Bien que le feu soit un pilier fondamental de l'interprétation archéologique, on ne saisit encore qu'insuffisamment les détails de son effet sur les sous-couches archéologiques. Les questions clés, du point de vue de l'interprétation, sont le degré de chaleur atteint par le sol sous divers feux et le degré de rougeoiement préservé dans la statigraphie finale. Cette étude explore ces questions en examinant les études précédentes et à la lueur d'une série d'incendies expérimentaux mesurés. Nous en concluons que, bien qu'il y ait certaines variations, la température sous la plupart des incendies allumés en surface ne dépasse pas les 500°C et il est rare que le sol rougisse. Ces deux généralisations sont toutefois liées d'une manière complexe qui n'a pas été totalement clarifiée. Certains sédiments rougissent dramatiquement à des températures qu'on trouve couramment sous des feux expérimentaux et dans la littérature sur l'échauffement des sols, tandis que d'autres ne présentent aucun signe de rougoiement même à des températures nettement plus élevées. Il se pourrait que ces ‘anomalies’ soient liées soit au contenu de la matière organique, soit à des modifications chimiques qui affectent le processus de transformation de l'oxide de fer responsable de la coloration rouge du sol.

Zusammenfassung

Obwohl Feuer ein fundamentaler Baustein der Interpretation ist, versteht man die Details seiner Auswirkung auf die archäologischen Substrate immer noch unzureichend. Mit einer interpretativen Perspektive betreffen die Kernfragen zum einen die Höhe der Hitze, die im Boden unter den verschiedenen Feuern produziert wird, zum anderen den Grad der Rötung, die sich in der Stratigraphie zeigt. Der Artikel untersucht diese Fragen durch eine Analyse früherer Studien und durch eine Reihe instrumentalisierter, experimentieller Feuer. Wir fassen zusammen, daß obwohl es einige Variationen gibt, Temperaturen unter den meisten oberflächlichen Feuern unter 500° C bleibt, und die Rötung des Bodens nur selten eintritt. Diese zwei Verallgemeinerungen sind jedoch in einer komplexen Weise miteinander verbunden, die noch nicht vollkommen geklärt ist. Einige Sedimente röten sich sehr stark bei einer Temperatur, die normalerweise unter experimentiellen Feuern und in der Literatur zu Bodenerhitzung zu finden ist, während andere sogar bei bedeutend höheren Temperaturen nicht röten. Diese „Anomalitäten‟ könnten entweder von organischem Inhalt der Materie oder von chemikalischen Variationen herrühren, die den Fortschritt der Eisenoxidierung beeinflussen, die schließlich zur Bodenrötung führt.

Resúmen

Aunque el fuego es un bloque de construcción fundamental en la interpretación, se conocen aún muy pobremente los detalles de su efecto en los substratos arqueológicos. Las preguntas clave desde el punto de vista interpretativo, son el nivel de calor producido en el suelo bajo distintos tipos de fuegos y el grado de enrojecimiento preservado en la estratigrafía final. Este trabajo explora estas preguntas a través del examen de estudios previos y a través de una serie de fuegos experimentales controlados. Concluimos que, aunque hay algo de variación, las temperaturas bajo la mayoría de los fuegos prendidos en la superficie se mantiene bajo los 500°C y que el enrojecimiento del suelo ocurre sólo raramente. Estas dos generalizaciones están, sin embargo, complejamente unidas de modo que no ha sido del todo clarificado. Algunos sedimentos enrojecen dramaticamente a las temperaturas normalmente alcanzadas bajo fuegos experimentales y en la literatura sobre calentamiento de suelos, mientras que otros no enrojecen siquiera a temperaturas significativamente superiores. Estas “anomalias” pueden estar relacionadas bien con el contenido de materia orgánica o con variaciones químicas que afectan el proceso de transformación del óxido de hierro que conduce al enrojecimiento de los suelos.

Type
Shorter Contribution
Information
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society , Volume 66 , 2000 , pp. 385 - 395
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 2000

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