Identification, Processing and Use of Red Pigments (Hematite and Cinnabar) in the Valencian Early Neolithic (Spain)

Abstract

The results of the first elemental and structural physicochemical analyses (SEM–EDX, TXRF, XRD, FTIR, GC and EDXRF) of Early Neolithic red pigment samples from the region of Valencia confirm one of the earliest uses of cinnabar (HgS) in Spain (5300 to 5000 cal bc). They also inform on the storage of massive quantities of hematite and the development of specific technologies of hematite‐based paint production and use. The samples were recovered at the three most significant Early Neolithic sites of the Mediterranean coast of Spain: Cova de l'Or (Beniarrés, Alacant), Cova de la Sarsa (Bocairent, Valencia) and Cova Fosca (Vall d'Ebo, Valencia), which together have provided the most important European collection of Cardial ceramic ware (chronoculturally diagnostic of the Early Neolithic).

Toxic Pigment in a Capacocha Burial: Instrumental Identification of Cinnabar in Inca Human Remains from Iquique, Chile

“…The use of cinnabar has been widely reported at archaeological sites in various parts of the world. For example, in the Old World, its use has been reported in Roman architecture and art (Cotte et al 2006) and also in human remains and artefacts from the Neolithic/Chalcolithic (5400-4100 BP) period of the Iberian Peninsula (Hunt-Ortiz et al 2011;Domingo et al 2012;Emslie et al 2015). Equally, early use in Serbia and traditional medicine in China and India have been described (Liu et al 2008;Gajić-Kvaščev et al 2012).…”

Integrated Analytical Techniques for the Study of Colouring Materials from Two Megalithic Barrows

“…Another discussion that is common in some studies is the pigment provenance (Jezequel et al ; Bonneau et al ; Domingo et al ; Rogerio‐Candelera et al ). As the colourant minerals identified for Eireira and Leira das Mamas are very common in the region (Teixeira et al ; Pereira ), we can accept that these pigments were probably made using local materials.…”

The Source of Iron‐Oxide Pigments Used in Pecos River Style Rock Paints

“…Moreover, since the red paints in the pictographs are composed of a variety of oxidation and hydration states of Fe (Hyman et al 1996), this indicates the prehistoric painters were modifying the mineralogy via heat to produce the desired pigments. There is evidence that humans have been processing pigments similarly via extraction and heating to modify the colouring for at least 10 000 years (Domingo et al 2012), and possibly as far back as 100 000 years (Henshilwood et al 2011;Salomon et al 2012).…”