Charcoal analysis and wood diameter: inductive and deductive methodological approaches for the study of firewood collecting practices

International audience; We present and discuss two approaches for evaluating the diameter of carbonized wood.Results from a theoretical model and its experimental validation shows that the proportions of diameter classes predicted by the model can be recognized. Even though the measured caliber classes do not correspond to the reality of the initial diameters, the measures were sufficiently different and reproductive to be discriminated through factorial analysis. These methods are promising for documenting cultural behavior of past peoples related to firewood use and management