Introduction to Fire-Cracked Rock Analysis

This chapter introduces the book by presenting an overview of fire-cracked rock (FCR) research, including cutting edge techniques employed to study FCR, such as organic residue analysis. This chapter also explores laboratory methods applied to date FCR, particularly through thermoluminescence (TL) dating, and discusses dating techniques in which FCR cannot be reliably dated, like obsidian hydration dating (OHD). This is because obsidian rocks exposed to fires with even low temperatures may have significant alterations of their hydration rinds that can erase or reset the obsidian hydration ‘clock,’ hence providing an inaccurate date. Furthermore, this chapter reviews the extensive vocabulary used in the literature to name heated rocks (i.e., FCR), and highlights the need for a standardized terminology to define this particular class of artifact in the field of archaeology. Finally, a summary of the chapters in this book is provided at the end of the chapter.