WOOD FOR THE PYRE: FUEL PROVISIONING AND MANAGEMENT IN THE ROMAN CITY OF BRACARAAUGUSTA, NW IBERIA
Channel: European Association of Archaeologists
Date: 03/01/2021

Between 2007 and 2009, excavations in the necropolis of Via XVII in the city center of Braga (Bracara Augusta), northern Portugal, revealed one of the largest roman funerary complexes in the Iberian Peninsula, with over 190 depositions identified (including cremation, inhumation and ustrina) and spanning from the 1st to the 7th century AD. Bracara Augusta was founded in the early 1st century AD as the capital of the conventus Bracaraugustanus. As the most important city in the roman administration of the NW Iberia, it later became the capital of the province of Gallaecia and between the 5th and 7th centuries, capital of the Suebi Kingdom. Sediment samples for archaeobotanical analysis were recovered throughout the site in primary, secondary and tertiary deposits. A total of 46000 charcoal fragments and several hundreds of fruit and seed macroremains were analysed. Quercus deciduous stood out from the diverse set of 29 species identified, reaching nearly 50% of the total. Nevertheless, the presence of several other tree species (e.g. Castanea sativa, Fagus sylvatica, Juglans regia, Pinus sylvestris etc.), along with the occurrence of a diverse set of carpological remains (e.g. Pinus pinea cones and nuts, Juglans regia shell nuts, strobilus of Alnus sp. and galbulus fragments of Cupressus sempervirens, etc.) provided relevant insights and discussions.

Considering wood’s ubiquity in the everyday life activities of pre-industrial societies, this paper will discuss several socio-economic factors regarding firewood provisioning and plant resources management in a medium sized roman city in the periphery of the Roman Empire. Data from the characterization the firewood and carpological macroremains found in the necropolis of Via XVII in Bracara Augusta will be complemented with classical sources and ethnographical and historical data. Particular emphasis will be made to firewood catchment area, transport, storage and use.


Author(s): Costa Vaz, Filipe (Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources - CIBIO, University of Porto) - Braga, Cristina (Archaeological
Unit of the University of Minho, Landscape, Heritage and Territory Laboratory - Lab2PT) - Oliveira, Cláudia (Archaeological Unit of the University of Minho, Landscape, Heritage and Territory Laboratory - Lab2PT; Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources - CIBIO, University of Porto) - Pedro Tereso, João (Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources - CIBIO, University of Porto; Center for Archaeology - UNIARQ, University of Lisbon) - Fontes, Luís - Martins, Manuela (Archaeological Unit of the University of Minho, Landscape, Heritage and Territory Laboratory - Lab2PT)