NEW RESEARCHS ON CHARCOAL FROM COPPER, BR ONZE AND IRON AGES SITES INFENAN, WADI-ARABA, JORDAN

In a region rich In prehistoric sites. numerous specimens of charcoal were collected. The specimens come from archaeological excavations of different epochs between 5.500 and 4.200 BP. The charcoals originate f rom domestic hearths. ruins of houses and from copper smelting furnace s. The important anatomical characters of the charcoal of ten species from the Fenan region are presented and illustrated by scanning electr on microscopical photos. In a sample of charcolithic fire wood 51 out of 85 fragments are Retama raetam and 34 Tamarix sp. Bronze age constr uction wood (901 pieces analyzed) consists mostly of Tamarix sp. Lumin ous sticks used in a Bronze age mine are Juniperus phoenicea, exclusiv ely. The Bronze age charcoal spectrum (860 pieces) contains a high num ber of tress. The criteria for the selection of different woods by man are discussed. Moreover, the recent vegetation of the environment of the sites is described briefly. From the quantitative analysis of the charcoals taken from the slag dumps of copper smelting ft is possible to draw conclusions on the ancient vegetation. The use of large quanti ties of Juniperus phoenicea and other tree species of higher altitudes during Bronze age suggests, for this region, a period that was more h umid than today.