Experimentation on woody plant species from southern argentinean puna. Contributions to anthracological studies

Abstract

The main objective of this research was to describe the reaction of each woody plant species in front of the fire. So, we proposed an experimental design of firewood burning that we carried out in the study area: Antofagasta de la Sierra, Catamarca. This work constitutes the starting point toward a new way to analyze the archaeobotanical record in relation to the use of woody resources in the past. The selected woody species were those used at present day as firewood in the study area, considering the ethnobotanical interviews, and the identified taxa from archaeological camp fires in the area. The results are discussed and, then, confronting with the archaeobotanical record of the area.