Hearths and domestic heating structures of Bronze Age and Early Iron Age in Corsica (2000-500 BC)

Abstract

Several categories of fireplaces have been observed in Corsica in protohistoric contexts. Although data are currently lacking for the Early Bronze Age, there are many examples in the Middle Bronze Age domestic sites. Implanted inside the houses, these structures present forms, dimensions and varied situations. During the same phase, some tower monuments show the recurring presence of a large fireplace in the center of the ground floor space, providing light, heat and cooking surface to this particular area. In the Final Bronze Age and Early Iron Age, the circular area of baked clay, sometimes clad with shards, becomes systematic in the stereotyped plane habitations that characterize these phases, even if its spatial arrangement is variable. Some pit-fireplaces are also documented. For all the protohistoric phases, unstructured heating zones, perhaps more opportunistic, are known, such as those superimposed on the steps of the ramp of Tusiu tower, which signify the abandonment of the first floor during the Final Bronze Age. The anthracological data are few but attest to a privileged use of the heather as firewood.