home Charcoal Remains

Identification of charcoal recovered from archaeological sites has provided important information on vegetation history and on deforestation in the Near and Middle East. Species such as deciduous Oak, wild Pistachio (Pistacia atlantica) and wild Almond have been found frequently on Neolithic and Bronze Age sites situated in areas of the Near and Middle East which are today treeless steppe. Click here to see a summary of the charcoal results. The presence of these species indicates that forests (with a cortège of other species) were more widespread in the past. In the Near East observations of surviving forest remnants are also a key to the understanding of vegetation history.

We now have evidence that cedar wood was imported at Jerf el Ahmar and Aswad during the Neolithic. Charred wood of this species was found associated with habitation levels which had been destroyed by fire.

PhD Theses on charcoal analysis carried out on samples housed at Jalès.

V. Roitel, Montpellier 1997. Supervisor J-L Vernet. Végétation et Action de l'homme du Natufouien au Néolithique Acéramique dans le Haute-Euphrate syrien.

M. Tengberg, Montpellier 1998. Supervisor, J-L Vernet. Paléoenvironnements et Economie végétatle en milieu aride.

H. Pessin, Paris (in progress) Supervisor, S. Thiebault .Charcoal analysis of Bronze Age sites on the Middle Euphrates

Selected Publications

Willcox G. 2003 L'économie végétale à Bosra et Si: résultats d'analyse de restes végétaux carbonisés des périodes romaine, byzantine et islamique. In Hauran II, (Eds) J. Dentzer-Feydy, J-M Dentzer, P-M Blanc, Hauran II Vol. I Beyrouth 177-195.

Willcox G. 2002 Evidence for ancient forest cover and deforestation from charcoal analysis of ten archaeological sites on the Euphrates. In Charcoal Analysis. Methodological Approaches, Palaeoecological Results and Wood Uses. Ed. S. Thiébault BAR Int. Series 1063:141-145.

Roitel V. Willcox G. 2000 Analysis of charcoal from Abu Hureyra in Moore A.M.T. Hillman G. Legge T. Village on the Euphrates. Oxford University Press

 Willcox G 1999 Charcoal analysis and Holocene vegetation history in southern Syria. In Quaternary Science Reviews Special issue INQA symposium Ankara, the late Quaternary in the Eastern Mediterranean 711-716.

Willcox G., 1974 "A history of deforestation as indicated by charcoal analysis of four sites in eastern Anatolia" Anatolian Studies. Vol. XXIV 117-133

Willcox G., 1979 Preliminary report: analysis of charcoal remains from Can Hasan III. Bulletin of the British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara.

Willcox G., 1987 List of trees and shrubs of economic importance in ancient Iraq. Bulletin on Sumerian Agriculture, Vol.III 101-1O6.

Willcox G., 1990a Charcoal remains from Tepe Abdul Hosein in J. Pullar Tepe Abdul Hosein: A Neolithic site in Western Iran Excavations 1978. 233-227.BAR International Series 563.

Willcox G., 1991 Cafer Höyük (Turquie): Les Charbons de bois Néolithiques. Cahiers de l'Euphrate 5-6 139-150 Editions Recherche sur les Civilisations. Paris.

Willcox G., 1991 Exploitation des espéces ligneuses au Proche Orient: Données anthracologiques. Paléorient, vol. 17/2. 117-126.

Willcox G., 1992 Timber and trees: ancient exploitation in the Middle East: evidence from plant remains. In Bulletin on Sumerian Agriculture. Vol. VI 1-31. Cambridge.

Willcox, G. 1996 Evidence for plant exploitation and vegetation history from three Early Neolithic pre-pottery sites on the Euphrates (Syria) Archaeobotany and Vegetation History. 5:143-152.