Table 3 Origin of samples and site conditions.

Austrian reference materials (Smidt et al.⁴⁴)

Rohr im Gebirge

recent

Rectangular charcoal hearths

Eisenerz

A

Rectangular charcoal hearths

B

A charcoal production pit

C

Copper smelting site

Brazilian sample set

RIO

historic charcoal kilns in the suburb of Rio de Janeiro City (22° 58′ 20″ S/43° 14′ 55″ W), Tijuca forest, samples originate from the first 15 cm of the soil profile Environmental conditions: Atlantic rainforest, altitude of 330 m a.s.l., mean annual precipitation around 1,070 mm (Details: Solórzano et al.⁵⁷)

German sample sets

Wittnau

WI

historic charcoal production site in the southern Black Forest⁵⁸ with two usage periods (fifteenth to seventeenth century CE and seventeenth to twentieth century CE); soil: acidic (parent material is Gneis-Granitic) and well drained on a slope at 645 m a.s.l

Iznang

IZ

Domestic energy wood remains from fire places and remains of burnt-down houses from a cultural layer in and above permanently waterlogged conditions due to groundwater (Horgen settlement at the Untersee near Radolfzell/ Lake Constance⁵⁹), dendrochronologically dated settlement with its beginnings at 3,270 BCE and with a second building phase around 3,250 BCE

Bodnegg

BO

Charcoals from fire places (settlement according to ¹⁴C-dates at the shore of a small lake during the neolithic period 3950–3650 BCE), wetland site with permanent wet conditions; samples embedded in slightly mineralized, but permanently wet peat

Olzreute

OL

Charcoals from excavated domestic fire places (Goldberg-III-settlement near Bad Schussenried in Upper Swabia dendrochronologically dated to 900 BCE⁶⁰; one or two more building phases within the period around 2850–2820 BCE; the neolithic village was built at the shore of a small lake); samples incorporated and overgrown by peat layers after silting up of the lake

Speckhau

SP

Tumulus mound in a mineral, well-drained soil environment, near the Celtic settlement Heuneburg in Upper Swabia (constructed 400–300 BCE)