Landscapes and forest resources of Tarragona in the 15th century through charcoal analyses
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17561/aytm.v17i0.1475Keywords:
Late Medieval Age, charcoal analysis, Fuelwood, vegetation, kiln, Antigua Audiencia, TarragonaAbstract
This work presents the findings from anthracological analyses performed on charcoal samples obtained from two stratigraphicalunits from a medieval pottery kiln.The final objective is to reveal the type of fuel used for the pottery kiln and where these naturalresources were collected. At the same time, this information will allow us to gather a basic knowledge of biogeographical environment of the city of Tarragona and its surroundings. Generally, very few anthracological investigations have been carried out in the context of the medieval ages in the Catalonian coastline. In addition, the XV century is characterized by an important lack of documentation. Consequently, it is necessary to develop this type of analyses which will allow us to understand the ways in which the forests were exploited associated with handcraft activities during the medieval times in cities such as Tarragona.
The results obtained from the anthracological analyses of the two studied levels differ in a substantial manner. While in one of them (SU 119) the olive three and heather are used mostly, in the other one (SU 112) pine is used almost exclusively. The presence of the rest of the taxa identifies at both levels is spotted except for the oak at SU 119, where, although in a lesser way than the othertwo species, it seems to have also been selected as burning wood for the kilns.
Downloads
References
ALLUÉ, E. (2003): “Les análisis antracològiques a Tarragona i el seu entorn: l’interès per l’estudi de la vegetació del pasta i la utilització dels recursos forestals”, Butlletí Arqueològic. Reial Societat Arqueològica Tarraconense. Nº 25, Época V. Tarragona, 5-17.
BLANCHEMANCHE, P.; CHABAL, L. (1995): “Potentialités forestières et activités humaines de la fin de la Préhistoire à la période historique dans le midi de la France: dégradation ou socialisation du milieu?”, L’homme et la dégradation de l’environnement. XVIe Rencontres internationales d’archéologie et d’histoire d’Antibes. APDCA, 209-229.
CORTÉS, R. (Coord.) (2000): Intervencions arqueológiques a Tarragona i entorn (1993-1999). Tarragona, Servei Arqueològica. URV, 233-242.
CURULLA, O.; MIR, H.; PIÑOL, L. (2000): “El forn de ceràmica medieval de l’Antiga Audiencia de Tarragona”, I Congrés d’Arqueologia Medieval i Moderna a Catalunya. Igualada, Asociació Catalana per a la Recerca en Arqueología Medieval (ACRAM), 156-166.
DUPRÉ, X.; CARRETÉ, J.M. (1993): La “Antiga Audiència”. Un acceso al Foro Provincial de Tarraco. D.L. Madrid, Instituto de Conservación y Restauración de Bienes Culturales.
DURAND A. (1998): Les paysages médiévaux du Languedoc (XeXIIe siècles). Toulouse, Presses Universitaires du Mirail.
DURAND, A. (2003): Forêts et économie du combustible d’après l’analyse anthracologique en Champsaur médiéval à haute altitude. Essai de synthèse des résultats. Département d’histoire de l’Université d’Aix-Marseille I-Laboratoire d’archéologie médiévale méditerranéenne, 109-132.
DURAND, A. (2004): Du paysage à la pratique des gestes à l’environnement. Essai d’approches croisées sur les systèmes agraires en France méridionale et en Catalogne (IXe-XVe siècle). Académie d’Aix-Marseille. Aix Marseille I, Université de Provence.
DURAND, A.; LEVEAU, PH. (2004): “Farming in Mediterranean France and rural settlement in the late roman and early medieval periods. The contributions from archaeology and environmental sciences in the last twenty years (1980-2000)”, Barceló, M.; Sigault, F.: The making of feudal agricultures. Boston, Leiden, 177-253.
EUBA, I. (2009). Análisis antracológico de estructuras altimontanas en el valle de la Vansa-Sierra del Cadí (Alt Urgell) y en el valle del Madriu (Andorra): explotación de recursos forestales del Neolítico a época moderna. Documenta, Vol. 9. Tarragona, ICAC.
EUBA, I.; Allué, E. (2003): “Análisis antracológico de una acumulación de carbones en la villa romana del Moro (Torredembarra, Tarragona)”, Butlletí Arqueològic. Reial Societat Arqueològica Tarraconense, 25. 89-106.
FERRER, M.T. (1990): “Boscos i deveses a la corona catalana-aragonesa (s. XIV – XV)”, Anuario de Estudios Medievales. 20. 485-537. https://doi.org/10.3989/aem.1990.v20.1160
FOLCH, R. (1986): La vegetació dels Països Catalans. Ed. Ketres. Barcelona.
GARCÍA MARTÍNEZ, M.S.; RAMÍREZ ÁGUILA (en prensa): “La utilización de la vegetación forestal como combustible en un complejo artesanal de los siglos XII-XIII localizado en Jumilla (Murcia)”, Arqueología y Territorio Medieval.
GRAU, E. (1990): El uso de la madera en yacimientos valencianos de la edad del bronce a la época visigoda. Datos etnobotánicos y reconstrucción ecológica según la antracología. Tesis doctoral, Valencia, Universidad de Valencia, Departamento de Geografía e Historia.
HARO, S. (2001): “Paisaje vegetal en la comarca de la Marina Alta durante el s. XIII a través del antracoanálisis del Castell d’Ambra (Pego, Alicante)”, Clemente Ranios, J. (ed.) El medio natural en la España Medieval. Actas del I congreso sobre ecohistoria e historia medieval., 317-334.
IZQUIERDO BENITO, R. (1994): “La arqueología medieval en España: antecedentes y estado actual”, Arqueología y territorio medieval. 1. 119-127. https://doi.org/10.17561/aytm.v1i0.1597
MALAGARRIAGA, H.T. (1971): Flora de la provincia de Tarragona: plantas vasculares. Tarragona, Diputación Provincial de Tarragona.
LÓPEZ, J.A.; LÓPEZ, L.; PÉREZ, S.; MATEO, M.A. (2008): “Historia de la vegetación en el litoral norte de Girona entre los siglos VIII y XX d.C.: Cambios climáticos y socioeconómicos desde una perspectiva paleoambiental”, Arqueología y Territorio Medieval. 15. 13 – 28. https://doi.org/10.17561/aytm.v15i0.1492
PY, V. (2001): Les potiers et la forêt à Cabrera d’Anoia (Catalogne): XIe-XIVe siècle. Anthracologie, ethonobotanique et paléoécologie: Archéologie et artisanat. DEA. Faculté des Lettres et Sciences Humaines d’Aix-Marseille I. Aix-enProvence, Université de Provence.
RECASENS, J.M. (1975): La ciutat de Tarragona. Barcelona, Ed. Barcino.
RIERA, S.; ESTEBAN, A. (1994): “Vegetation history and human activity during the last 6000 years on the central catalan coast (northeastern Iberian Península)”, Vegetation History and Archaeobotany. 3. 7-23. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00208885
SCHWEINGRUBER, F.H. (1990): Anatomie europäisher Hölzer. Ein Atlas zur Bestimmung europäischer Baum-, Strauchund Zwergstrauchhölzer. Anatomy of European woods. An Atlas for the identification of European trees, shrubs and dwarf shrufs. Stuttgart, Verlag Paul Haupt.
TERRAL, J.F.; DURAND, A. (2006): “Bio-archaeological evidence of olive tree (Olea europaea L.) irrigation during the Middle Ages in Southern France and North Eastern Spain”, Journal of Archaeological Science. Vol. 33. 718-724. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2005.10.004
VERNET, J.L. (ed.) (2001) Guide d’identification des charbons de bois préhistoriques et récents. Sud-ouest de l’Europe: France, Péninsule Ibérique et îles Canaries. Paris, CNRS Editions.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
The moment the article is accepted by the magazine, the author or authors must fill out a specific form where the copyright conditions of the magazine will be stated, approved by the University of Jaén.
The authors will retain the copyright and will concede to the magazine the rights for the first publication, with the work registered under the Creative Commons license that allows third parties the use of the publication as long as they mention the author and the publication in this magazine.
The authors can reach other independent contractual agreements for the non exclusive distribution of the version of the article published in this magazine (i.e include it in an institutional repository or publish it in a book) as long as they clearly indicate that the work was primarily published by this magazine.
