Experimental and Instrumental Studies of Heat Treatment of Silicious Rocks: current state
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24852/2587-6112.2026.5.167.178Keywords:
archaeology, stone industry, pyrotechnology, improvement of the properties of natural materials, scientific methodsAbstract
This paper outlines the primary outcomes of research into the heat treatment of siliceous rocks in ancient times. The main directions in the study of this phenomenon have been identified, including the recognition and proof of intentional heating, its advantages for lithic knapping, changes in the rock structure caused by heating and the heat treatment technology itself. It has been established that, to date, this field of research has succeeded in identifying visually evident traces of heat treatment on artefacts, a comprehensive set of methods has been developed and new approaches for their identification and proof have been proposed for testing. The advantages of intentional heating as a technique for preparing rocks for knapping have been identified and evidence of the possible aesthetic and symbolic properties of objects produced using it has been collected. Models of physicochemical transformations in the rock resulting from thermal influence have been proposed. General optimal modes of intentional heating, as well as specific programmes for regional varieties of raw materials, have been determined experimentally. Heat treatment has been studied among the Konso people, who still practice it to manufacture chalcedony tools. Current objectives for further research include identifying and proving the application of heat treatment in specific archaeological materials; conducting experiments to determine the optimal heating modes for regional varieties of siliceous rocks; describing technological contexts and its place within the reduction sequence; analyzing the geography and chronology of the phenomenon to determine the mechanisms of its regional and global expansion.
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