Abstract
Known as anthracology, the study and identification of buried wood charcoal helps to reconstruct past environments and landscapes, as well as wood and land uses. The chronology of fires and human activities can be assessed by radiocarbon dating of charcoal pieces. Born in Europe, anthracology has been increasingly used in the tropics for the last 20 years. This chapter first presents some reference studies, then focuses on the methodology used in tropical environments, which needs further improvement. Sampling methods are a key issue, as the sampling design can have a direct impact on the representativeness of the charcoal assemblages. Here we give some examples of the methods used for the recovery of soil charcoal in the dense tropical forests of Central Africa and South America. We also recall the main tools available for charcoal identification developed by specialists for these areas, where species diversity makes the identification process challenging.