Paleoenvironmental and behavioral insights into firewood selection by early Middle Pleistocene hominins
The control of fire offered early hominins significant advantages, yet its identification in early archaeological sites is challenging. A new anthracological study at the early Middle Pleistocene site of Gesher Benot Ya'aqov (GBY) offers valuable insights from an exceptionally large assemblage of charcoal. Taxonomic analysis reveals a diverse range of habitats, including species such as Fraxinus, Salix, Vitis, Nerium, Olea, Quercus, Pistacia, and Punica granatum. The charcoal exhibits greater taxonomic diversity than other plant remains from the site (wood, seeds, fruits), and this high diversity is notably spatially concentrated within a specific charcoal cluster. The charcoal from GBY reveals habitual firewood gathering, likely driven by the availability of lakeshore driftwood. The demanding task of maintaining fires likely shaped hominin base camp selection. The GBY hominins repeatedly occupied the lakeshore, choosing this specific point in the landscape not only due to the availability of raw materials, fauna, flora, and fresh water, but also to the availability of firewood.
