Premium
THE ORIGIN AND GEOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF RED OCHRES FROM THE TITO BUSTILLO AND MONTE CASTILLO CAVES (NORTHERN SPAIN)*
Author(s) -
IRIARTE E.,
FOYO A.,
SÁNCHEZ M. A.,
TOMILLO C.,
SETIÉN J.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
archaeometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.716
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1475-4754
pISSN - 0003-813X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-4754.2008.00397.x
Subject(s) - petrography , provenance , cave , geology , characterization (materials science) , outcrop , archaeology , archaeological science , mineralogy , geochemistry , paleontology , geography , materials science , nanotechnology
Ochres were the most common source materials for pigments used in Palaeolithic rock art paintings. This work analyses the petrographic and geochemical signatures of different ochre samples from outcrops inside Tito Bustillo Cave and the Monte Castillo Caves using the most common techniques (petrography, XRD, SEM–EDS and ICP–MS) in archaeological pigment characterization studies. The results obtained permit the identification and characterization of the different source ochre types and, furthermore, allow the establishment of mineralogical and geochemical proxies for the study of questions related to ochre characterization, formation processes and provenance.