Palaeolithic

A Spark of Inspiration: Experimentally Testing Manganese Dioxide as a Fire Lighting Aide

Author(s)
Andy Langley 1 ✉,
Andy Needham 1
Publication Date
Evidence for the production, use, and control of fire by Neanderthals in Europe ranges from the scale of ecosystems to microscopic alterations of artefacts. While there is a consensus that Neanderthals were skilled in the use of fire, there remains a dispute over whether they had mastered the ability to produce fire on demand. The unique discovery that Neanderthals may have been utilising manganese dioxide as...

Jeanne Binning

Member of EXARC since
Country
USA
Crafts & Skills

I am a flint-knapper. I have been flint-knapping for many years. I do replicative experiments in stone tool manufacture and stone tool use. My primary job is as an archaeologist for the state of California. I teach anthropology at the local community college.

Amanda Henry

Member of EXARC since
Country
the Netherlands
Crafts & Skills

I am a paleoanthropologist at the Faculty of Archaeology in Leiden University. I'm interested in the use of plants by early hominins and humans prior to agriculture, and how the use and processing of these plants may have shaped our evolutionary trajectory.

SUNY Potsdam (US)

Member of EXARC
No

Experimental archaeology plays an important role in the Archaeological Studies program at The State University of New York at Potsdam (aka SUNY Potsdam). We are small teaching focused undergraduate institution located in the northern most region of New York State, USA.

Our faculty teach a wide variety of archaeological courses spanning time and space. We incorporate experimental and experiential archaeology into our teaching and scholarship in many different ways. In addition to a free-standing course in Experimental Archaeology, experimental and experiential activities are incorporated throughout the curriculum. For instance, students develop and carryout stone boiling experiments, prepare hickory nut soup and practice flint-knapping and traditional fire-making techniques as a regular part of their archeological course work.

Humboldt State University (US)

Member of EXARC
No

Humboldt State University (HSU), in Northern California, is a small community-based campus, situated in the great redwoods of the Pacific North coast. The college town setting on the California North Coast, 8 miles (13 km) north of Eureka is notable for its natural beauty. The university is divided into three colleges: the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; the College of Natural Resources and Sciences; and the College of Professional Studies.

Students are provided with a holistic education in the discipline of Anthropology. As part of the curriculum in the Department of Anthropology, students can explore numerous avenues in Experimental Archaeology, including flintknapping, metal casting, basketry, cordage, textiles, and bookbinding, just to name a few.