The Torchis of Northern France: Ethnoarchaeological Research on the Technological Variability and Decay Processes of Wattle and Daub Dwellings

Alessandro Peinetti (1, 2)

1 ASM - Archéologie des Sociétés Méditerranéennes
2 UNIBO - Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna = University of Bologna

The study of ancient vernacular architecture highlights the exceptional technological variability in the use of wood and daub. This variability is hardly recognizable in the archaeological record, whose interpretation is often conventional. A series of observations on wattle and daub constructions in northern France can explain some of the relationships between technology, environment, and human choices. By analyzing how people abandoned these buildings and by observing their decay, a preliminary hypothetical model of the formation processes of the archeological record linked to this type of dwelling can be proposed. This is useful for the correct interpretation of the archaeological context as well as of the human behavior that generates it.

Mots clés: Formation processes of the archeological record; Earthen architecture; Technology; Wattle and daub

Domaines: Archéologie et Préhistoire; Anthropologie sociale et ethnologie; Architecture, aménagement de l'espace

Alessandro Peinetti. The Torchis of Northern France: Ethnoarchaeological Research on the Technological Variability and Decay Processes of Wattle and Daub Dwellings. Stefano Biagetti; Francesca Lugli. The Intangible Elements of Culture in Ethnoarchaeological Research, Springer International Publishing, pp.275-282, 2016, ⟨10.1007/978-3-319-23153-2_22⟩. ⟨halshs-01360081⟩