Burn Marks on Buildings: Accidental or Deliberate?

Burn marks on buildings have generally been considered to be the result of accidents, and dismissed as meaningless. A detailed programme of archaeological experimentation has been carried out to establish how burn marks are caused, and field evidence has been drawn together from a wide range of sources. The experimental evidence indicates that the great majority of burn marks must have been made deliberately. The field survey has shown that burn marks are very widespread, with clear patterning of the activity. Although the motives behind the creation of these marks are not yet understood, it is clear that this very extensive new category of data must be added to the study of ritual marks in buildings.