Autores: Rubiales, J.M., Pérez, E., Miranda, J.C, García-Amorena, I.
Congreso: 11th European Palaeobotany and Palynology Conference. Stockholm. Suecia
Fechas: 19 – 22 junio 2022
Web: https://jirango.com/cview/web/4b67cbd5?&lang=eng
Resumen: Tree products, such as pitch or tar, derivatives from resin, have played a crucial role in past societies over many centuries. Investigations in the mountains of Gredos (central Spain) have revealed the existence of a dense network of kilns for pitch exploitation at medium to high altitudes (1500–2000 m asl). Intensive efforts to locate these structures have been made in the central section of the Massif, where 29 kilns have been identified, showing a high density of structures in certain areas. In 12 of the 29 kilns, charcoals for anatomical study have been recovered, which have showed extensive evidence for the use of Pinus gr. sylvestris as the main fuel source. Radiocarbon dating of five of these kilns has provided Late Holocene dates for the Pinus charcoal remains (ca 1,600–700 cal BP). Different palaeoecological techniques (i.e., pollen, macrofossils, pedoanthracology) have provided insights into the dominance of pinewoods in these mountains during much of the Holocene, with a persistent demise occurring in the last 1,500 years. Climate, overgrazing and the intensification of the use of fire have been suggested as the main causes of the demise of forest and the subsequent dominance of the current fire-prone shrubland. The data presented here, together with other historical and toponymic information, suggest that the human activities in mountain areas included intense industrial practices, not only in the mountains of Gredos, but also in other subcontinental mountain ranges of Iberia. It also shows that pitch extraction may have had an important role shaping the mountain vegetation during the late Holocene.
