Browsing by Author "Murphree, William Chase"
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- Upper Paleolithic pyrotechnology and its preservation in periglacial environmentsPublication . Murphree, William Chase; Aldeias, Vera Lúcia DiasThe use of fire as a tool, or Pyrotechnology, is widely considered to be a pivotal technological innovation in hominin evolution and a hallmark of the genus Homo. While the research interest in the evolution of pyrotechnology has dramatically increased over the last few decades, the field has been primarily focused on the understanding the so called “origins” of fire use in hominin behaviour and using assumptions made regarding the “ubiquitous” use of fire by modern humans for comparisons with earlier periods. Currently, we know more about fire use during the middle Pleistocene then we do about the development of pyrotechnology in the last 50,000 years. This PhD thesis is focused on the evolution of pyrotechnology during the Upper Palaeolithic of Europe (~50,000 – 13,000 years before present) and how the evidence of fire is preserved in periglacial conditions, where cryogenic processes can affect the integrity of combustion remains. Research was carried out via a comprehensive review of the combustion features throughout the Upper Palaeolithic in Europe, a case study with one of the first high resolution detailed analysis of combustion features used during the Last Glacial Maximum, and the development of an experimental protocol to characterize the effects of freeze-thaw processes on combustion remains. The results show the evolution of pyrotechnology in the Upper Palaeolithic, with striking patterns of regionalisation and increased functional standardisation, as well as gaps on fire evidence during glacial periods. The study case and experimental work suggested that a lack of preservation may not be the most parsimonious reason for the gaps during glacial periods. Taken together, this evidence has led me to suggest that fire use might not have been as universally used , especially within times and/or regions of ix limited available resources. This thesis highlights importance of studying pyrotechnological evolution to reconstruct past human behaviour and adaptation.