{"title":"Hearth management at a middle Paleolithic rock shelter site: Smoke density analysis at Tor Faraj, Jordan","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2024.106107","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Paleolithic rock shelters often include several hearths located in different parts of the site. In this paper, we analyze relevant data from Middle Paleolithic Tor Faraj rock shelter as a case study of smoke density in correlation with hearth location and functionality. Since one of the major negative fire products is smoke, which has an immediate effect on human health, we used computer simulations to analyze the effect of various parallel hypothetical hearth configurations on smoke density in the shelter, as categorized by the average smoke exposure recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The simulations enable us to investigate various hearth activation possibilities affecting smoke density in all the site areas, thus enhancing the understanding of hearth location and functionality in Paleolithic rock shelter sites. The results correspond with ethnographic studies of sites where hearths for sleeping are located at the back wall of the shelter and explain, for the first time, the reason for this placement. The number of parallel active hearths was found to be limited by smoke density factors, despite the ventilation afforded by the rock shelter's high, wide opening, which also left it vulnerable to the effects of wind. The distance between the hearths also influenced smoke density, especially between the drip line up to the rock shelter center. Thus, these areas were probably more suitable for short-duration activities such as cooking. We further concluded that the hearths at Tor Faraj were most probably activated at the time of need and not necessarily simultaneously. By correlating wind statistics from the Meteoblue website with our smoke density simulation results, we could deduce that intensive occupations at Tor Faraj in the middle of winter (January) would have been problematic due to wind affecting smoke dispersal at the site.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Archaeological Science","FirstCategoryId":"89","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305440324001754","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ANTHROPOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Paleolithic rock shelters often include several hearths located in different parts of the site. In this paper, we analyze relevant data from Middle Paleolithic Tor Faraj rock shelter as a case study of smoke density in correlation with hearth location and functionality. Since one of the major negative fire products is smoke, which has an immediate effect on human health, we used computer simulations to analyze the effect of various parallel hypothetical hearth configurations on smoke density in the shelter, as categorized by the average smoke exposure recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The simulations enable us to investigate various hearth activation possibilities affecting smoke density in all the site areas, thus enhancing the understanding of hearth location and functionality in Paleolithic rock shelter sites. The results correspond with ethnographic studies of sites where hearths for sleeping are located at the back wall of the shelter and explain, for the first time, the reason for this placement. The number of parallel active hearths was found to be limited by smoke density factors, despite the ventilation afforded by the rock shelter's high, wide opening, which also left it vulnerable to the effects of wind. The distance between the hearths also influenced smoke density, especially between the drip line up to the rock shelter center. Thus, these areas were probably more suitable for short-duration activities such as cooking. We further concluded that the hearths at Tor Faraj were most probably activated at the time of need and not necessarily simultaneously. By correlating wind statistics from the Meteoblue website with our smoke density simulation results, we could deduce that intensive occupations at Tor Faraj in the middle of winter (January) would have been problematic due to wind affecting smoke dispersal at the site.
旧石器时代的岩石掩蔽所通常包括位于遗址不同位置的多个炉灶。在本文中,我们分析了旧石器时代中期 Tor Faraj 岩石避难所的相关数据,以此作为烟雾密度与炉膛位置和功能相关性的案例研究。由于烟雾是火灾的主要负面产物之一,会对人类健康产生直接影响,我们利用计算机模拟分析了各种平行的假设炉膛配置对避难所烟雾密度的影响,并根据世界卫生组织(WHO)和美国环境保护局(EPA)提出的平均烟雾暴露建议进行了分类。通过模拟,我们可以研究影响所有遗址区域烟雾密度的各种炉灶启动可能性,从而加深对旧石器时代岩洞遗址中炉灶位置和功能的理解。研究结果与人种学研究中睡眠炉位于避难所后墙的遗址相符,并首次解释了这种布置的原因。研究发现,尽管岩洞高而宽的洞口提供了通风条件,但平行活动炉灶的数量受到烟密度因素的限制,这也使其容易受到风的影响。炉膛之间的距离也会影响烟密度,尤其是滴水线到岩洞中心之间的距离。因此,这些区域可能更适合烹饪等短时间活动。我们进一步得出结论,托尔-法拉杰的炉灶很可能是在需要时才启动的,而不一定是同时启动的。通过将 Meteoblue 网站的风力统计数据与我们的烟雾密度模拟结果联系起来,我们可以推断出,由于风力会影响遗址的烟雾扩散,因此在隆冬季节(1 月)在 Tor Faraj 进行密集活动会很成问题。
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Archaeological Science is aimed at archaeologists and scientists with particular interests in advancing the development and application of scientific techniques and methodologies to all areas of archaeology. This established monthly journal publishes focus articles, original research papers and major review articles, of wide archaeological significance. The journal provides an international forum for archaeologists and scientists from widely different scientific backgrounds who share a common interest in developing and applying scientific methods to inform major debates through improving the quality and reliability of scientific information derived from archaeological research.