Reconstruction of Control and Application of Thermal Energy Process and its Technical, Social, Symbolic and Palaeoenvironmental Consequences

Since the discovery of fire use in the archaeological record, the reconstruction of its control and application to the transformation of matter within different human societies has followed a rather complex path owing to the different theoretical frameworks leading to the emergence of the study of fire structures. This special number focuses on methodological approaches and the use of experimental and analytical methods to study late prehistoric societies having different degrees of complexity that evolved in the Mediterranean region. In previous studies, we point out that, "rebuilding to understand", is a necessary step in the reconstruction of thermal energy processes. However, this approach is also essential for the reconstruction of the history of fire structures at each studied site and must be adapted in relation to the complexity of thermal energy uses in the different kinds of societies concerned. In this article, we use examples from prehistory to show how the analysis of fire structures continues to be problematic. This is due to the epistemological difficulties of this type of study, the complexity of the phenomena and the inadequate cross-validation between different analytical methods. As a consequence, there has been a hyper-specialization and fragmentation of this field of research as well as a lack of systematic studies using a well-established theoretical framework. Finally, the practical inherent problems of our disciplinary approach have reinforced the inductive tradition that frequently neglects the broader theoretical perspective needed to address the issues at stake. In this sense, our approach needs to consider different human modes of appropriation, production and use of thermal energy as well as the strategies implemented by different societies to ensure the reproduction of social systems by the control and application of fire use. Therefore, we need to question the relevance of these issues vis-à-vis the different aspects of each society and cultural structure, at both infrastructural and ideological levels.