In Europe, especially the Low Countries, peat was intensively used as a fuel source. Yet, the identification of peat as a fuel source from archaeological combustion residues is challenging. Nevertheless, detecting peat fuel in archaeological contexts would significantly contribute to broader socio-economic questions, such as fuel and landscape management strategies. To achieve this goal, this study developed a new multiproxy approach by combining several analytical methods (light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, analytical pyrolysis, phytolith, faecal spherulite and ash pseudomorphs analyses and micro X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy) to identify fuel types, predominantly peat, from combustion residues. This methodology was successfully applied to combustion residues discovered at 6 Roman salt production sites situated along the southern North Sea coast. Not only was peat, specifically Sphagnum sp. and Ericaceae peat, identified as the predominant fuel source, but the use of fossil coal as a secondary fuel source could also be hypothesised. This paper demonstrates the high potential of the proposed methodology to identify not only the use of peat in combustion residues, but potentially also the specific type of peat used as well as other fuel sources.

在欧洲，特别是低地国家，泥炭被广泛用作燃料来源。然而，从考古燃烧残留物中鉴定泥炭作为燃料来源具有挑战性。然而，在考古环境中检测泥炭燃料将极大地有助于解决更广泛的社会经济问题，例如燃料和景观管理策略。为了实现这一目标，本研究开发了一种新的多代理方法，结合多种分析方法（光学显微镜、扫描电子显微镜、分析热解、植硅体、粪便球晶和灰假形体分析以及微 X 射线荧光光谱）来识别燃料类型，主要是泥炭，来自燃烧残留物。该方法已成功应用于北海南部海岸 6 个罗马盐生产场发现的燃烧残留物。不仅是泥炭，特别是泥炭藓。和杜鹃花科泥炭被确定为主要燃料来源，但也可以假设使用化石煤作为次要燃料来源。本文证明了所提出的方法的巨大潜力，不仅可以识别燃烧残留物中泥炭的使用，还可以识别所使用的泥炭的特定类型以及其他燃料来源。