Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ARCHBOTANKA (From the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean through ethnoarchaeology of fuel and archaeobotany)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2024-03-01 al 2026-02-28
Archaeobotany studies plant remains from archaeological sites to understand past human–environment relationships. These remains reveal information about ancient climates, ecosystems, and how people used plants for food, medicine, construction, and especially fuel. This project focuses on firewood as a key energy source. In Sri Lanka, past firewood use is poorly understood. The project addresses this by combining archaeological research on charcoal with ethnographic studies and collaboration with academic and non-academic institutions. Firewood has long been essential for human societies and remains vital in many rural communities, despite challenges in sustainable use and forest management.
The project has four main objectives:
1. Study firewood practices among the Vedda communities, documenting how wood is selected, collected, and used, and contributing to knowledge of traditional environmental practices.
2. Create the first reference collection of wood and charcoal for Sri Lanka, supporting identification of archaeological remains and future research.
3. Reconstruct past firewood use through charcoal analysis from archaeological sites, while developing methods and local research capacity.
4. Promote public awareness of plant use by creating educational materials linked to sustainability and global challenges.
Overall, the project combines research, collaboration, and education to better understand long-term human–forest interactions and the role of firewood in past and present societies.
The project has four main objectives:
1. Study firewood practices among the Vedda communities, documenting how wood is selected, collected, and used, and contributing to knowledge of traditional environmental practices.
2. Create the first reference collection of wood and charcoal for Sri Lanka, supporting identification of archaeological remains and future research.
3. Reconstruct past firewood use through charcoal analysis from archaeological sites, while developing methods and local research capacity.
4. Promote public awareness of plant use by creating educational materials linked to sustainability and global challenges.
Overall, the project combines research, collaboration, and education to better understand long-term human–forest interactions and the role of firewood in past and present societies.
WP1 aims to document firewood procurement and consumption practices among the Vedda community in Sri Lanka through interviews and field observations. Initial fieldwork in Dambana village confirmed the feasibility of ethnoarchaeological research. Researchers from IPHES and UPDN conducted interviews and participant observation—mainly with women responsible for firewood gathering—and with the village chief, providing both practical and social context. The data collected also informed species selection for the comparative collection. Progress has been largely on track, with only minor scheduling adjustments in research secondments.
WP2 focuses on building a comparative collection of wood and charcoal samples from Sri Lanka and the Mediterranean. Significant progress has been made, including selecting relevant species, collecting samples, and beginning processing and carbonization. Collaboration with institutions such as the Royal Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya and the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle has been essential. While the Mediterranean collection is complete, the Sri Lankan collection has experienced slight delays, though work is ongoing and expected to be completed soon. Training activities for sample preparation are also underway.
WP3, which involves the analysis of archaeological charcoal from Sri Lankan sites, has not yet started due to logistical challenges, including visa restrictions, delays in recruiting suitable researchers, and difficulties transporting materials. Adjustments are being considered, such as shorter research stays or conducting part of the work locally in Sri Lanka.
WP4 aims to improve public understanding of human–plant interactions through educational initiatives. Workshops conducted in schools in Kandy introduced students to archaeology, prehistory, and plant use through interactive and game-based learning. Activities included simulated excavations and group exercises on plant uses. These workshops were highly successful, with strong engagement from students and positive feedback from teachers. Surveys and training sessions with educators also helped identify needs for future educational resources.
WP2 focuses on building a comparative collection of wood and charcoal samples from Sri Lanka and the Mediterranean. Significant progress has been made, including selecting relevant species, collecting samples, and beginning processing and carbonization. Collaboration with institutions such as the Royal Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya and the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle has been essential. While the Mediterranean collection is complete, the Sri Lankan collection has experienced slight delays, though work is ongoing and expected to be completed soon. Training activities for sample preparation are also underway.
WP3, which involves the analysis of archaeological charcoal from Sri Lankan sites, has not yet started due to logistical challenges, including visa restrictions, delays in recruiting suitable researchers, and difficulties transporting materials. Adjustments are being considered, such as shorter research stays or conducting part of the work locally in Sri Lanka.
WP4 aims to improve public understanding of human–plant interactions through educational initiatives. Workshops conducted in schools in Kandy introduced students to archaeology, prehistory, and plant use through interactive and game-based learning. Activities included simulated excavations and group exercises on plant uses. These workshops were highly successful, with strong engagement from students and positive feedback from teachers. Surveys and training sessions with educators also helped identify needs for future educational resources.
First, the creation of a wood and charcoal comparative collection, that will include digital images, will significantly improve access to botanical reference materials for tropical regions. By distributing replicated collections across European institutions and Sri Lanka, the project establishes essential infrastructure for advancing charcoal analysis. This effort builds on earlier foundational work, such as the atlas by Asouti and Fuller, and will support the development of anthracology in underrepresented regions while training new researchers, including a PhD student in Sri Lanka.
Second, the project addresses major gaps in understanding past subsistence and environmental transformations in tropical South Asia. Archaeobotanical evidence suggests that diverse subsistence strategies—such as hunting, farming, herding, and fishing—coexisted, and that key transitions, including the shift to irrigated agriculture during the Iron Age, significantly altered landscapes and resource use. These changes likely impacted fuel practices, introducing new materials such as agricultural by-products or dung. By analysing charcoal from earlier prehistoric to early historic periods, the project aims to clarify how major developments like agriculture, urbanization, and metallurgy influenced firewood procurement.
Third, the project contributes to strengthening archaeobotanical research capacity in Sri Lanka, where the field remains underdeveloped due to limited funding, training, and infrastructure. By promoting the study of wood and charcoal among local doctoral students and providing access to reference collections and training, the project enhances scientific skills, fosters interdisciplinary research, and supports long-term academic development in the region.
Fourth, the research addresses a major gap in ethnoarchaeology of fuels, a field that has received limited attention globally. Firewood collection has often been overlooked or undervalued, frequently dismissed as a simple or insignificant activity and associated mainly with women and children, whose roles are often neglected in archaeological narratives. This project challenges such assumptions by emphasizing the complex socio-environmental relationships involved in energy use. Through ethnographic fieldwork among the Vedda, it will generate new insights into firewood practices, traditional environmental knowledge, and gendered roles in resource management, contributing to a more nuanced understanding of human-environment interactions.
Finally, the project underscores the importance of connecting people with plant knowledge and nature. It highlights that educational and outreach activities in archaeology tend to prioritize more visible aspects such as tools or hunting, while plant-related knowledge remains underrepresented. By developing inclusive and diverse educational resources focused on plants, the project aims to elevate the cultural and scientific importance of the plant world, fostering greater environmental awareness and supporting sustainable development.
Second, the project addresses major gaps in understanding past subsistence and environmental transformations in tropical South Asia. Archaeobotanical evidence suggests that diverse subsistence strategies—such as hunting, farming, herding, and fishing—coexisted, and that key transitions, including the shift to irrigated agriculture during the Iron Age, significantly altered landscapes and resource use. These changes likely impacted fuel practices, introducing new materials such as agricultural by-products or dung. By analysing charcoal from earlier prehistoric to early historic periods, the project aims to clarify how major developments like agriculture, urbanization, and metallurgy influenced firewood procurement.
Third, the project contributes to strengthening archaeobotanical research capacity in Sri Lanka, where the field remains underdeveloped due to limited funding, training, and infrastructure. By promoting the study of wood and charcoal among local doctoral students and providing access to reference collections and training, the project enhances scientific skills, fosters interdisciplinary research, and supports long-term academic development in the region.
Fourth, the research addresses a major gap in ethnoarchaeology of fuels, a field that has received limited attention globally. Firewood collection has often been overlooked or undervalued, frequently dismissed as a simple or insignificant activity and associated mainly with women and children, whose roles are often neglected in archaeological narratives. This project challenges such assumptions by emphasizing the complex socio-environmental relationships involved in energy use. Through ethnographic fieldwork among the Vedda, it will generate new insights into firewood practices, traditional environmental knowledge, and gendered roles in resource management, contributing to a more nuanced understanding of human-environment interactions.
Finally, the project underscores the importance of connecting people with plant knowledge and nature. It highlights that educational and outreach activities in archaeology tend to prioritize more visible aspects such as tools or hunting, while plant-related knowledge remains underrepresented. By developing inclusive and diverse educational resources focused on plants, the project aims to elevate the cultural and scientific importance of the plant world, fostering greater environmental awareness and supporting sustainable development.