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Hunter-Gatherer Earth Ovens in the Archaeological Record: Fundamental Concepts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Stephen L. Black  and
Alston V. Thorns
Stephen L. Black
Affiliation:
Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666 ([email protected])
Alston V. Thorns
Affiliation:
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4352 ([email protected])
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Abstract

Remains of earth ovens with rock heating elements of various sizes and configurations are common at hunter-gatherer sites around the world. They span the last 30,000 years in the Old World and some 10,000 years in the New World. Although various foods were baked in these ovens, plants predominate. Earth ovens are ethnographically well documented as family-size and bulk cooking facilities, but related technology and its archaeological signatures remain poorly understood and understudied. These ubiquitous features are often mischaracterized as generic cooking facilities termed hearths. It is proposed that, in fact, most rock “hearths” are heating elements of earth ovens. Reliable identification and interpretation of earth ovens requires documentation of heating elements, pit structure, rock linings, and various remnants thereof. Fundamental technological concepts for investigating their archaeological signatures include thermodynamics, construction designs, and life cycles in systemic context, as informed by ethnographic, archaeological, and experimental data. Earth oven technology explains well the primary purpose of labor-intensive thermal storage for long-term cooking and conserving fuel. Information from the extensive archaeological record of earth ovens on the Edwards Plateau of south-central North America illustrates these points.

Resumen

Resumen

Los restos de homos de tierra con elementos de calefacción de roca de varios tamaños y configuraciones son comunes en los sitios de cazadores-recolectores de todo el mundo. Ellos abarcan los últimos 30,000 años en el Viejo Mundo y cerca de 10,000 años en el Nuevo Mundo. Aunque varios alimentos se cuecen en estos hornos, predominan las plantas. Hornos de la tierra están bien documentados etnográficamente como de tamaño familiar y las instalaciones de cocina a granel, pero la tecnología conexa y sus firmas arqueológicos siguen siendo poco conocidos y poco estudiado. Estas características ubicuas son a menudo mal identificados como instalaciones de cocina genéricos denominados hogares. Se propone que, de hecho, la mayoría de los “hogares de roca” son elementos de calentamiento de hornos de tierra. La identificación fiable e interpretación de los hornos de tierra requiere documentación de los elementos de calefacción, la estructura de pozo, revestimientos de piedra, y varios restos de los mismos. Conceptos tecnológicos fundamentales para la investigación de sus firmas arqueológicos incluyen la termodinámica, diseños de construcción, y los ciclos de vida en el contexto sistémico, según se informa en los datos etnográficos, arqueológicos y experimental. Tecnología de horno de la tierra explica bien el objetivo principal de almacenamiento térmico de mano de obra para cocinar a largo plazo y la conservación de combustible. Información del extenso registro arqueológico de hornos de tierra en la Edwards Plateau en el sur-centro de América del Norte ilustra estos puntos.

Type
Articles
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 79 , Issue 2 , April 2014 , pp. 204 - 226
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 2014

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