Worth looking at this paper:
Braadbaart, Marinova and Sarpaki 2016 Charred olive stones: experimental and archaeological evidence for recognizing olive processing residues used as fuel, Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, DOI: 10.1007/s00334-016-0562-2 - available on line on open access
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00334-016-0562-2There is evidence for the specific use of date stones as fuel by metal workings:
Used traditionally by silversmiths in Iraq - Townsend and Guest 1985, Flora of Iraq vol 8, Monocotyledons excluding Gramineae, p 264
preferred to charcoal by Babylonian silversmiths - Strabo, Geography 16.1.14
I certainly suggested date stones were used as fuel in Fazzan, southern Libyan and I'm sure you'll find lots of examples in site reports. Claire Newton did quite a lot of work on olive stones in relation to Egyptian finds
Newton, Terral and Ivorra 2006 The Egyptian olive (Olea europea subsp. europea) in the later first millennium BC, Antiquity 80 (308): 405-414
I can't remember what she wrote now but worth a look.
Ruth
_______________________________________
From: The archaeobotany mailing list [
[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Forste, Kathleen [
[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 18 May 2016 04:13
To:
[log in to unmask]Subject: Fruit pits as fuel?
Dear colleagues,
I am looking for some references on the use of fruit pits (specifically ziziphus, date, olive, plum/peach/cherry/etc.) as an alternative fuel source in the Levant. Does anyone know of any archaeological or ethnological sources? I am analyzing an Early Islamic botanical assemblage from a coastal site in Israel and have found a number of samples that are very rich in a variety of these pits, and am exploring the potential for their use as fuel.
On a related note, does anyone know of any references discussing the drying of fruits for local consumption or export?
Many thanks,
-Kathleen
Kathleen Forste
Ph.D. student and Teaching Fellow
Department of Archaeology
Boston University
Environmental Archaeology Lab<http://sites.bu.edu/ealab/people/kathleen-forste/>
We are the public body that looks after England's historic environment. We champion historic places, helping people to understand, value and care for them, now and for the future.
Sign up to our enewsletter to keep up to date with our latest news, advice and listings.
HistoricEngland.org.uk Twitter: @HistoricEngland
This e-mail (and any attachments) is confidential and may contain personal views which are not the views of Historic England unless specifically stated. If you have received it in error, please delete it from your system and notify the sender immediately. Do not use, copy or disclose the information in any way nor act in reliance on it. Any information sent to Historic England may become publicly available.