A new Cambrian black pigment used during the late Middle Palaeolithic discovered at Scladina Cave (Andenne, Belgium)

Bonjean, Dominique; Vanbrabant, Yves; Abrams, Grégory; Pirson, Stéphane; Burlet, Christian; Modica, Kévin Di; Otte, Marcel; Auwera, Jacqueline Vander; Golitko, Mark; McMillan, R. Bruce; Goemaere, Eric

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2014.11.040

Cited by 25 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Over the last two decades, new analyses in Africa have pushed back the earliest occurrences of such evidence 1 – 12 , which were previously thought to be coincident with the Middle-to-Upper Palaeolithic transition in Western Europe. Despite intense dispute as to whether such evidence is unique to anatomically modern human populations, it now appears clear that Middle Palaeolithic Neanderthal populations across their known range also made and used bone tools 13 , 14 , sourced and processed pigments 15 – 18 , potentially buried their dead 19 – 25 , and probably possessed elements of personal ornamentation 26 – 29 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

No Reliable Evidence for a Neanderthal-Châtelperronian Association at La Roche-à-Pierrot, Saint-Césaire

Gravina

Bachellerie

Caux

et al. 2018

Sci Rep

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The demise of Neanderthals and their interaction with dispersing anatomically modern human populations remain some of the most contentious issues in palaeoanthropology. The Châtelperronian, now generally recognized as the first genuine Upper Palaeolithic industry in Western Europe and commonly attributed to the Neanderthals, plays a pivotal role in these debates. The Neanderthal authorship of this techno-complex is based on reported associations of Neanderthal skeletal material with Châtelperronian assemblages at only two sites, La Roche-à-Pierrot (Saint-Césaire) and the Grotte du Renne (Arcy-sur-Cure). The reliability of such an association has, however, been the subject of heated controversy. Here we present a detailed taphonomic, spatial and typo-technological reassessment of the level (EJOP sup) containing the Neanderthal skeletal material at Saint-Césaire. Our assessment of a new larger sample of lithic artifacts, combined with a systematic refitting program and spatial projections of diagnostic artifacts, produced no reliable evidence for a Neanderthal-Châtelperronian association at the site. These results significantly impact current models concerning the Middle-to-Upper Palaeolithic transition in Western Europe and force a critical reappraisal of who exactly were the makers of the Châtelperronian.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

No Reliable Evidence for a Neanderthal-Châtelperronian Association at La Roche-à-Pierrot, Saint-Césaire

Gravina

Bachellerie

Caux

et al. 2018

Sci Rep

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“…Several Mousterian sites (Canalettes, Combe Grenal, Grotte de l’Hyène at Arcy, Tabatérie, Chez Pourré-Chez-Comte, Cioarei-Borosteni,) yielded evidence for the collection of rare objects in the form of crystal and fossils [64]. Pigment use among Neanderthals dates back as far as 200–250 ka [65], and becomes a more widespread practice after c. 60 ka, as testified not only by the finds of modified ochre, manganese and graphite pieces [14,58,64,66,67] but also processing tools and possible pigment containers [68–72]. An ochered fossil marine shell has been discovered in a Mousterian level dated to at least 47.6–45.0 cal kyr BP at Fumane cave in Italy [73], and ochered marine shells come from Cueva de Los Aviones and Cueva Antón archaeological layers dated to c. 50 ka, in the Iberian Peninsula [74].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A decorated raven bone from the Zaskalnaya VI (Kolosovskaya) Neanderthal site, Crimea

et al. 2017

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We analyze a radius bone fragment of a raven (Corvus corax) from Zaskalnaya VI rock shelter, Crimea. The object bears seven notches and comes from an archaeological level attributed to a Micoquian industry dated to between 38 and 43 cal kyr BP. Our study aims to examine the degree of regularity and intentionality of this set of notches through their technological and morphometric analysis, complemented by comparative experimental work. Microscopic analysis of the notches indicate that they were produced by the to-and-fro movement of a lithic cutting edge and that two notches were added to fill in the gap left between previously cut notches, probably to increase the visual consistency of the pattern. Multivariate analysis of morphometric data recorded on the archaeological notches and sets of notches cut by nine modern experimenters on radii of domestic turkeys shows that the variations recorded on the Zaskalnaya set are comparable to experimental sets made with the aim of producing similar, parallel, equidistant notches. Identification of the Weber Fraction, the constant that accounts for error in human perception, for equidistant notches cut on bone rods and its application to the Zaskalnaya set of notches and thirty-six sets of notches incised on seventeen Upper Palaeolithic bone objects from seven sites indicate that the Zaskalnaya set falls within the range of variation of regularly spaced experimental and Upper Palaeolithic sets of notches. This suggests that even if the production of the notches may have had a utilitarian reason the notches were made with the goal of producing a visually consistent pattern. This object represents the first instance of a bird bone from a Neanderthal site bearing modifications that cannot be explained as the result of butchery activities and for which a symbolic argument can be built on direct rather than circumstantial evidence.

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“…López‐Montalvo et al identified carbon‐based black pigments in the Cova Remigia shelters in the Valltorta–Gassulla area (Castellon, Spain), an example of Spanish Levantine rock art, opening the possibility of radiocarbon dating, whereas Bonjean et al reported in Scladina Cave (Andenne, Belgium) for the first time a type of black pigment collected by Neandertals around 40 000–37 000 bp that is not a manganese oxide, but a carbonaceous material.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Raman spectroscopy of minerals and mineral pigments in archaeometry

Bersani

Lottici

2016

J Raman Spectroscopy

145

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Minerals, as raw structural materials or pigments, play a fundamental role in archaeometry, for the understanding of nature, structure and status of an artefact or object of interest for cultural heritage. A detailed knowledge of the mineral phases is crucial to solve archaeological problems: Raman spectroscopy is a powerful investigation technique and has been applied extensively in the last 30 years on mineral identification and on pigment degradation. Here we report an updated review, covering the last decade, of the applications of Raman techniques to issues in which raw minerals, including mineral pigments, are involved. Particular attention is devoted to cases where the Raman analysis of minerals is deeper than a simple identification of the phases present in an archaeological or artistic object. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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A new Cambrian black pigment used during the late Middle Palaeolithic discovered at Scladina Cave (Andenne, Belgium)

Cited by 25 publications

References 26 publications

No Reliable Evidence for a Neanderthal-Châtelperronian Association at La Roche-à-Pierrot, Saint-Césaire

No Reliable Evidence for a Neanderthal-Châtelperronian Association at La Roche-à-Pierrot, Saint-Césaire

A decorated raven bone from the Zaskalnaya VI (Kolosovskaya) Neanderthal site, Crimea

Raman spectroscopy of minerals and mineral pigments in archaeometry

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