- 1Shantou University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Disaster Prediction and Protection, Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou, 515063，China (ligh1986@gmail.com)
- 2Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, 519000, Guangdong, China
- 3Laboratory of Archaeometry, School of History and Cultural Heritage Department of History, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, Fujian, China
Understanding how human activities mitigate the negative impacts of climate change and promote sustainable development is a critical scientific question (e.g., Lamb and Steinberger, 2017). Throughout history, humans have made many attempts to adapt to climate change, particularly through their adoption of settlement environments and the evolution of building materials (e.g., Olsson, 2024). The controlled use of fire, a hallmark of human civilization, has been instrumental in developing ceramic building materials since the Neolithic period (e.g., Jones, 2021). While numerous burned clay artifacts from the Neolithic period have been found worldwide (e.g., Pérez-Monserrat et al., 2022), little is known about their detailed characteristics and the potential influence of climate change on artificial fire usage. This study focuses on a Neolithic site in eastern Fujian, South China. By magnetic and geochemical analysis, we aim to reconstruct the firing temperatures and, consequently, the technological characteristics of artificial fire used in Neolithic house construction in the context of climate change. Magnetic results suggest an average ancient firing temperature of approximately 620°C, consistent with findings from other Eurasian Neolithic sites (e.g., Jordanova et al., 2020). The magnetic properties of burnt clay may reflect the characteristics of the in-situ clay source, offering insights into the geological background. However, the artificially controlled fires result in differences in the structure, geochemical characteristics, and color of the various layers of the burned clay. Furthermore, a potential link between temporal variations in ancient firing temperatures and surrounding paleoenvironmental changes is suggested, potentially influenced by feedback mechanisms between temperature-moisture conditions and human activities. In addition, this study would potentially contribute to further studies on artificial fire usage evolution in cultural relics from an interdisciplinary perspective under specific environmental conditions.
References
Jones, R., 2021. The Decoration and Firing of Ancient Greek Pottery: A Review of Recent Investigations. Advances in Archaeomaterials. 2, 67–127.
Jordanova, N., Jordanova, D., Lesigyarski, D., et al., 2020. Imprints of paleo-environmental conditions and human activities in mineral magnetic properties of fired clay remains from Neolithic houses. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. 33,102473.
Lamb, W. F., Steinberger, J. K., 2017. Human well‐being and climate change mitigation. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change. 8(6): e485.
Olsson, O. 2024. Human Capital Evolution in a Cooling Climate[M]//Paleoeconomics: Climate Change and Economic Development in Prehistory. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. 39-58.
Pérez-Monserrat, E. M., Causarano, M., Maritan, L., et al., 2022. Roman brick production technologies in Padua (Northern Italy) along the Late Antiquity and Medieval Times: Durable bricks on high humid environs. Journal of Cultural Heritage. 54,12-20.
How to cite: Li, G., Chen, G., Cheng, Z., Huang, Y., Fang, J., Ge, W., and Zhan, C.: Magnetic Constraints on the Role of Artificial Fire in Neolithic Burnt Clay in Southern China under Climatic Impacts, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-5355, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-5355, 2025.
