The chemical diagenesis and palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the Palaeolithic sequence of Theopetra Cave have been studied extensively, but little information is available regarding the details of its combustion structures. The cave is characterized by extensive beds of multi-sequence combustion layers dated between 140 and 50 ka BP, and thick, often stratigraphically complex bodies of ash and charred remains dated between 16 and 13 ka BP. All combustion features contain large amounts of charred and partially charred fibrous organic matter of non-wood plant material and very little charcoal. The structure, fabric, composition, and chemistry of these remains suggest that a mixture of peat and dung was used as a fuel, occasionally enriched with amounts of wood fuel. The integrity of the sequence of combustion structures precludes the possibility that dung was produced by animals inside the cave as their traffic on its wet substrate would have destroyed the burnt layers and homogenized the sediment. The mixture of peat and dung was most likely collected from peatlands associated with swamps of the former so called Karditsa Lake that probably existed in the area until the beginning of the Holocene. Peat and dung were used as a fuel when wood fuel was not available, during the relatively cold intervals of the glacial periods, but also during the last interglacial when the area close to the cave was wooded. Of great interest is that this same fuel was used during both the Middle and the Upper Palaeolithic, presumably by different human species. Although Theopetra appears to be the first site that peat and dung was used as a fuel during the Middle Palaeolithic, it is suggested that other sites may have used this fuel as well. This has important consequences in understanding the evolution of human pyrotechnology particularly during glacial periods.

中文翻译：

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重温西奥佩特拉洞穴的旧石器时代燃烧特征：粪便和泥炭作为燃料的历时使用

西奥佩特拉洞穴旧石器时代序列的化学成岩作用和古环境重建已得到广泛研究，但有关其燃烧结构细节的信息很少。该洞穴的特点是广泛的多层序燃烧层，可追溯到距今 140 至 50 ka 之间，以及厚厚的、通常地层复杂的火山灰和烧焦遗骸，其年代可追溯至 16 至 13 ka BP 之间。所有燃烧特征均含有大量烧焦和部分烧焦的非木质植物材料纤维状有机物以及极少量的木炭。这些遗迹的结构、结构、成分和化学性质表明，泥炭和粪便的混合物被用作燃料，偶尔还富含大量的木材燃料。燃烧结构序列的完整性排除了洞穴内动物产生粪便的可能性，因为它们在潮湿的基质上的交通会破坏燃烧层并使沉积物均质化。泥炭和粪便的混合物很可能是从与前所谓的卡尔迪察湖沼泽相关的泥炭地收集的，该湖可能一直存在于该地区，直到全新世开始。当没有木材燃料时，在冰期相对寒冷的时期，以及在最后一个间冰期，当靠近洞穴的区域树木繁茂时，泥炭和粪便被用作燃料。令人感兴趣的是，在旧石器时代中期和晚期，可能由不同的人类物种使用了同样的燃料。尽管西奥佩特拉似乎是旧石器时代中期第一个使用泥炭和粪便作为燃料的遗址，但有人认为其他遗址也可能使用过这种燃料。这对于了解人类烟火技术的演变，特别是在冰河时期，具有重要的影响。