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The earliest evidence for clay hearths: Aurignacian features in Klisoura Cave 1, southern Greece

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 March 2015

P. Karkanas ,
M. Koumouzelis ,
J.K. Kozlowski ,
V. Sitlivy ,
K. Sobczyk ,
F. Berna  and
S. Weiner
P. Karkanas
Affiliation:
Ephoreia of Palaeoanthropology-Speleology, Ardittou 34b 11636, Athens, Greece. (Email: pkark@eexi.gr)
M. Koumouzelis
Affiliation:
Ephoreia of Palaeoanthropology-Speleology, Ardittou 34b 11636, Athens, Greece. (Email: pkark@eexi.gr)
J.K. Kozlowski
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, Jagellonian University, Krakow, Poland.
V. Sitlivy
Affiliation:
Musees Royaux d’Art et d’Histoire, Parc du Cinquantenaire 10, B-10000 Bruxelles, Belgium.
K. Sobczyk
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, Jagellonian University, Krakow, Poland.
F. Berna
Affiliation:
Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
S. Weiner
Affiliation:
Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
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Abstract

The authors describe clay features dating from c. 34-23 000 years ago discovered in a stratified occupation sequence in a Greek cave. The clay was brought from outside the cave, puddled with water and shaped into shallow basins. Laboratory analyses have shown that these clay features were burnt. This together with the occurrence of fragments of wood ash and phytoliths lying on their surfaces suggest that these features were hearths used for cooking, including the roasting of wild grasses.

Keywords

Upper PalaeolithicAurignacianGreecehearthclay structures
Type
Research
Information
Antiquity , Volume 78 , Issue 301 , September 2004 , pp. 513 - 525
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 2004

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