Geochemical Analysis of Eight Red Ochres from Western North America

Jon M. Erlandson · J. David Robertson · Christophe Descantes

57 citations0/0 files storedAmerican Antiquity

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Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis Mineralogy and Gemology Studies Archaeology and ancient environmental studies

Abstract

In this paper, we report on our examination of the suitability of geochemical provenance studies on red ochre sources from western North America. We report geochemical data derived from PIXE (particle-induced X-ray emission) analysis of eight red ochre sources from California, Oregon, Wyoming, and Alaska. Our preliminary analysis of these red ochres, including multiple samples from one large deposit, suggests that the tested samples vary significantly between sources. It appears likely that the geochemical analysis of red ochres, widely used and traded among Native Americans and other ancient peoples around the world, could expand the range of materials used by archaeologists and other scholars to reconstruct past exchange and interaction systems.

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References

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2000Stone Tool Research at the End of the Millennium: Procurement and Technology 2002Compositional Characterization of Prehistoric Ceramics: A New Approach 2011Geochemical characterization of ochre from central coastal British Columbia, Canada 2012An investigation into the properties of the ochre from Sibudu, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa 2015The source, processing and use of red pigment based on hematite and cinnabar at Gramalote, an early Initial Period (1500–1200 cal. B.C.) maritime community, north coast of Peru

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