Post Terminal Pleistocene Reconstruction of Ancient Fire Wood and Human-Environment Relations in the Afro-Alpine Region of the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia: an Anthracological Study

Abstract

This research presents the result of analysis of anthracological remains excavated
from four archaeological sites located in the Bale Mountains. The samples were
collected from the early Late Stone Age occupation phase to the early arrival of
pastoralists in the Bale Mountains (46.5 ka-1.2 ka). The aims of the study are: to
reconstruct firewood collection, vegetation history, to shed new light on the poorly
understood environmental conditions during human occupation phases in the Bale
Mountains, and to understand interactions between past humans and their
environment in African high-altitude ecozone. The investigation was conducted on
a total of 485 charcoal macro-remains, from which, a total of 328 were identified
into taxa and seven different plant species were recorded. The recorded taxa
include Erica cf. arborea type (n=75), Myrsine type (n=69), Solanum type (n=48),
Artemisia cf. afratype (n=44), Hagenia abyssinica (n=42), Hypericum type (n=29)
and Juniperus type (n=21). This study addresses various important issues,
including firewood collection, vegetation cover, palaeoenvironment, prehistoric
human ecological preferences, and adaptation strategies in the afro-alpine region
of the Bale Mountains.