Sterile stones: experimental and spatial analysis of heated lithics to reconstruct Late Pleistocene fire use at Românești-Dumbrăvița I (Romania)

• Heated lithics show specific changes contingent upon temperature. • Changes induced by different temperatures can be reconstructed experimentally. • Clusters of heated lithics can contribute to decoding anthropogenic behaviors and taphonomic disturbance. This article explores the relationship between hominins and fire through the analysis of heated lithic artifacts from the Paleolithic site of Românești- Dumbrăvița I in Southwestern Romania. The aim is to investigate if heated lithics provide information about the temperatures they were exposed to at a site that preserves no macroscopic evidence for Pleistocene fires. The approach focused on experimentally heating lithics knapped in Poieni-Pietroasa fault chert at different temperatures and durations. Changes in color, density and surface morphology were quantified and subsequently applied to the study of the archaeological assemblage. Results suggest three combustion zones were present in the proto-Aurignacian level of the site. The research combines experimental pyrotechnology and archaeological excavation data to provide insights into past human habitation patterns.