A new method for birch tar making with materials available in the Stone Age
Abstract The use of birch tar can be traced back to the European Middle Palaeolithic and is relevant for our understanding of the technical skills and cognitive abilities of Neanderthals. Due to the lack of archaeological evidence, it remains unknown what techniques were used for birch tar making. E...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-04161-3 |
| _version_ | 1798026488701779968 |
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| author | Tabea J. Koch Patrick Schmidt |
| author_facet | Tabea J. Koch Patrick Schmidt |
| author_sort | Tabea J. Koch |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The use of birch tar can be traced back to the European Middle Palaeolithic and is relevant for our understanding of the technical skills and cognitive abilities of Neanderthals. Due to the lack of archaeological evidence, it remains unknown what techniques were used for birch tar making. Efficiency was recently used as a proxy to determine the method most likely used in the Middle Palaeolithic. Todtenhaupt et al. have proposed a technique employing a groove-like structure that is comparable with the recently presented condensation method. The groove method resulted in higher tar yields compared to other experimental aceramic production processes. However, the implications for Palaeolithic tar making remain unclear because some of the materials used in the experiment were not available then (polished granite slabs). To approach this problem, we replicated the groove with river cobbles and, in a second experiment with flint fragments, to evaluate whether similar results can be obtained. We were successful in producing birch tar in multiple runs with the cobble- and flint-grooves, which, in addition, proved to be more efficient than the condensation method in terms of tar yield per bark input. Our experimental study provides an additional possibility to make prehistoric birch tar. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T18:36:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-45dbe807b9b74e2e9877b86a8beafb77 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T18:36:17Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-45dbe807b9b74e2e9877b86a8beafb772022-12-22T04:09:14ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222022-01-011211810.1038/s41598-021-04161-3A new method for birch tar making with materials available in the Stone AgeTabea J. Koch0Patrick Schmidt1Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, Eberhard Karls University of TübingenDepartment of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, Eberhard Karls University of TübingenAbstract The use of birch tar can be traced back to the European Middle Palaeolithic and is relevant for our understanding of the technical skills and cognitive abilities of Neanderthals. Due to the lack of archaeological evidence, it remains unknown what techniques were used for birch tar making. Efficiency was recently used as a proxy to determine the method most likely used in the Middle Palaeolithic. Todtenhaupt et al. have proposed a technique employing a groove-like structure that is comparable with the recently presented condensation method. The groove method resulted in higher tar yields compared to other experimental aceramic production processes. However, the implications for Palaeolithic tar making remain unclear because some of the materials used in the experiment were not available then (polished granite slabs). To approach this problem, we replicated the groove with river cobbles and, in a second experiment with flint fragments, to evaluate whether similar results can be obtained. We were successful in producing birch tar in multiple runs with the cobble- and flint-grooves, which, in addition, proved to be more efficient than the condensation method in terms of tar yield per bark input. Our experimental study provides an additional possibility to make prehistoric birch tar.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-04161-3 |
| spellingShingle | Tabea J. Koch Patrick Schmidt A new method for birch tar making with materials available in the Stone Age Scientific Reports |
| title | A new method for birch tar making with materials available in the Stone Age |
| title_full | A new method for birch tar making with materials available in the Stone Age |
| title_fullStr | A new method for birch tar making with materials available in the Stone Age |
| title_full_unstemmed | A new method for birch tar making with materials available in the Stone Age |
| title_short | A new method for birch tar making with materials available in the Stone Age |
| title_sort | new method for birch tar making with materials available in the stone age |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-04161-3 |
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