Geochemical characterization of ochre from central coastal British Columbia, Canada

MacDonald, Brandi L.; Hancock, R. G. V.; Cannon, Aubrey; Pidruczny, A.

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2011.08.032

Cited by 39 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…More recently, MacDonald et al . () discriminated between archaeological ochre from different pre‐Columbian sites across British Colombia (Canada) using inductively coupled plasma– atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP–AES).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ochre Provenance and Procurement Strategies During The Middle Stone Age at Diepkloof Rock Shelter, South Africa

et al. 2015

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Usually referred to in archaeological contexts simply as 'ochre', ferruginous rocks were commonly used during the Middle Stone Age (MSA) in South Africa. While ochre use by early modern humans has often been interpreted as reflecting complex behaviours, related procurement strategies and selection criteria remain poorly documented. Eight ochre sources from the surroundings of Diepkloof rock shelter in South Africa and 28 ochre pieces from the site's MSA levels were studied by XRD, ICP-OES and ICP-MS. Mineralogical and geochemical data demonstrate that ochre was both locally procured and transported to the site from more distant sources. Here, we investigate the reasons underlying the choice of particular local and non-local ochre sources exploited at Diepkloof, emphasizing differences in their physico-chemical properties. Regardless of the motivations behind ochre selection, our data shed new light on the behavioural complexity of MSA societies and suggest that ochre procurement strategies may be independent of subsistence concerns.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ochre Provenance and Procurement Strategies During The Middle Stone Age at Diepkloof Rock Shelter, South Africa

et al. 2015

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“…; MacDonald et al . ). These elements include, but are not limited to, transition metals and rare earth elements.…”

Section: Analytical Protocolmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…(), MacDonald et al . () and Mrzlack (). The three ochre sources targeted for this study are situated in coastal and interior areas of southern British Columbia (see Fig.…”

Section: Regional Context and Field Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous work in British Columbia (MacDonald et al . ) has demonstrated that ochres from archaeological sites in this area can be differentiated on the basis of their elemental chemistries. Continuation of that work focuses on location, sampling and characterization of ochre deposits in the region, towards an assessment of the potential range of geological and chemical variability in iron oxides.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Elemental Analysis of Ochre Outcrops in Southern British Columbia, Canada

et al. 2012

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Ochre is a red mineral pigment that was a key element of social and ceremonial practices among cultures of the Pacific Northwest Coast. It is recovered routinely from archaeological excavations, is visible as pigment for pictographs, and is described in the historical record as a trade item and component of ceremonial practices. Despite its ubiquity in the archaeological record, it is difficult to interpret its significance without first understanding the nature of its procurement and distribution. As a step towards identifying procurement practices, trade and resource use, it is necessary to thoroughly characterize ochre outcrops with regard to their intra-source and regional variability. We analysed ochre from three outcrops using INAA to determine their elemental chemistry. The purpose of this study is threefold: to provide an example of the range of elemental variability within and between outcrops, to illustrate the effect of scale and geomorphological processes on elemental compositions and statistical interpretation, and to create a database of known deposits in southern British Columbia. The results demonstrate that ochre deposits may be differentiated on the basis of their chemistry, and that conservative statistical interpretation needs to be employed to assess true elemental variability within and between ochre deposits and regions.

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“…; MacDonald et al . ) have focused on the rare earth elements (REE) and transition metals that are present at trace amounts in ochre and found them to be effective at chemically differentiating geological sources.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ochre fingerprints: Distinguishing among Malawian mineral pigment sources with Homogenized Ochre Chip LA–ICPMS

et al. 2014

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In this study, we compared the effectiveness of instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) of bulk ochre to laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry of homogenized ochre chips (HOC LA-ICPMS) at distinguishing among three ochre sources in northern Malawi. Both techniques upheld the Provenance Postulate; however, HOC LA-ICPMS required less sample material than INAA and facilitated fast, inexpensive replicate observations that allowed for more robust statistical analysis. Our results indicated that HOC LA-ICPMS is a maturing technique that will be a valuable option for analysing artefacts that require minimally destructive sampling but are too large to fit into the laser cell for direct ablation. With regard to the statistical procedures used, stepwise canonical discriminant analysis was demonstrated to be a highly effective method for distinguishing among ochre sources, even in the presence of significant intra-source and intra-sample heterogeneity. Continued development of the HOC sample preparation technique will expand the range of archaeological ochre artefacts that can be included in provenance studies and prevent bias towards artefacts of convenient-to-analyse dimensions.

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Geochemical characterization of ochre from central coastal British Columbia, Canada

Cited by 39 publications

References 21 publications

Ochre Provenance and Procurement Strategies During The Middle Stone Age at Diepkloof Rock Shelter, South Africa

Ochre Provenance and Procurement Strategies During The Middle Stone Age at Diepkloof Rock Shelter, South Africa

Elemental Analysis of Ochre Outcrops in Southern British Columbia, Canada

Ochre fingerprints: Distinguishing among Malawian mineral pigment sources with Homogenized Ochre Chip LA–ICPMS

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