Ancient charcoal recovered from a Spanish rock shelter is helping researchers understand how Neanderthals arranged their living spaces. A new analysis found burned wood concentrated around fireplaces in one part of the shelter, while smaller deposits farther away suggest that its occupants may have moved fire debris.
The findings come from Abric Romaní, a rock shelter in Capellades, near Barcelona, where well-preserved remains record Neanderthal occupations. The study, led by archaeologist Tomás Fernández-Iriarte and published in the Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology, examined a layer known as Ra, dating to roughly 60,000 years ago.
Researchers studied 640 pieces of charcoal collected during excavations from 2019 through 2022. They identified the wood and mapped each fragment’s location, then examined microscopic damage to distinguish human activity from changes caused by water and other natural processes. By comparing those clues, they sought to establish whether scattered burned wood reflected use of the site or later movement.
Ancient charcoal provides clues to Neanderthals’ living spaces
The clearest contrast was between the northern and southern sections. In the north, deposits formed broad clusters that overlapped with hearths along the shelter wall. The south contained smaller, more isolated patches, often away from known fireplaces. Researchers recorded 495 charcoal fragments in the northern section and 145 in the southern area.
That difference raises the possibility that people cleared burned remains from places where fires were kept. The study describes “discrete hearth-cleaning events” as one possible explanation. It does not establish whether the material was deliberately dumped or simply pushed a short distance from a hearth.
The pattern also cannot reveal how long people stayed. Some debris may have accumulated during a single occupation, while other deposits could date to separate visits, when later groups reused fireplaces. The researchers say evidence from stone tools, animal bones, and sediments is needed to distinguish those possibilities.
Mountain pine fuel and water damage complicate the picture
Wood identification offered another clue about daily routines. Roughly 76% of the fragments came from mountain pines, which were abundant around the shelter. The researchers suggest occupants gathered nearby deadwood, possibly including branches that had already begun to decay. A small number of fragments came from plants in the Prunus group, though their purpose remains uncertain.
The team also found mineral deposits and signs of alteration linked to water flowing through the shelter. A larger share of southern fragments showed these changes, making it difficult to rule out natural causes for every charcoal patch. Even so, the overall distribution appears more consistent with human activity than extensive disturbance.
The study shows how charcoal, alongside bones and tools, can help reconstruct where Neanderthal groups tended fires, handled fuel, and possibly maintained their camps.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
