Manganese and iron oxide use at Combe-Grenal (Dordogne, France): A proxy for cultural change in Neanderthal communities

Abstract

Neanderthal material culture patterning in Western Europe has been primarily approached from retouched stone tools and associated flake production methods. While considerable effort has been devoted over the past decade to better characterize Middle Palaeolithic lithic techno-complexes (LTCs) in this region, the extent to which they reflect cultural groups still remains unclear. In this respect, integrating other forms of archaeological evidence could provide valuable insights on the cultural significance of late Middle Palaeolithic industrial variability. The site of Combe-Grenal (Dordogne, France) has yielded consistent evidence of mineral pigment use throughout the upper part of the sequence. Here we explore whether mineral pigments might be embedded with an indexical meaning and if changes in pigment exploitation potentially reflect cultural changes. We combined a microscopic use-wear approach with SEM-EDS, pXRF, and XRD analyses of 73 pigment fragments from layers 26 to 11 in order to reconstruct the different stages of their acquisition and use (provenance, selection, processing, function). Our results show manganese oxides to have been used in the lower layers of the Quina LTC, while red and/or yellow iron oxide pieces were employed during the Discoid and Discoid/ Levallois LTCs. This decrease in manganese oxide use correlates with a change in lithic technology and may represent some form of cultural change.

Critical evaluation of in situ analyses for the characterisation of red pigments in rock paintings: A case study from El Castillo, Spain

“…As a second step, the spectra were normalised by the total counts per spectrum, using the same range of energy (see [ 17 , 18 ]). We also tested a normalisation method inspired by the Fe-ratios normalisation used in ochre provenance studies [ 101 , 103 – 108 ]. The method reduces the differences in trace element composition between ochre samples of varying Fe content.…”

Provenance, modification and use of manganese-rich rocks at Le Moustier (Dordogne, France)

“…Available evidence suggests that there is no strict correspondence between pigment colours, types, and lithic assemblages. Mn-rich lumps are, for example, associated with a discoidal technology at Le Moustier, with Quina, Levallois and Discoid technologies at Combe Grenal [8, 74], with Bordes’ Mousterian of Acheulean Tradition at Pech-de-l’Azé I and IV (see [8, 40] although see [90, 92] for questions concerning the validity of this “facies”), and Levallois technology at Pech-de-l’Azé IV and Caminade-Est [8, 112]. However, drawing definitive conclusions on this issue would require additional sites from southwestern France to benefit from the same type of approach presented here.…”

“…The use of colouring materials–primarily iron and manganese oxy-hydroxides–is probably the element of Neanderthal cultural adaptation other than lithic technology that has attracted the most attention in recent years. These efforts have led to the publication of new discoveries [36, 44, 72–74] following the reappraisals of old collections [40, 74–76], attempts to identify the geological sources of colouring materials used by Neanderthals [74, 77–80], the documentation of traces of modification and use [40, 74–75, 80–82], as well as multiple hypotheses concerning the potential functions of these materials for Neanderthal societies, including camouflage [83–86], body painting, decorating skins and objects [40, 85], igniting fires [32, 87] and painting cave walls [36]. However, attempts to succinctly document the provenance, selection, processing and use of colouring materials at major stratified Mousterian sites remain rare.…”

Invasive and Non-Invasive Analyses of Ochre and Iron-Based Pigment Raw Materials: A Methodological Perspective

“…In order to take into account their geological and mineralogical diversity, multi-analytical approaches were favoured (Table 1). A common attribute of successful ochre studies is the combination of two main types of analyses: petrographic or mineralogical analyses on one hand; elementary analyses on the other (see e.g., [4,24,25,28,29,32,34,[40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47]).…”

“…Much as is done with other mineral resources exploited by humans, their characterization allows for the reconstruction of past technical and symbolic behaviors, of group mobility and social organization, and more generally of cultural dynamics. Broaching these subjects requires bringing to light key information regarding the operational sequences (chaîne opératoire) that bring into play the choices made during raw material acquisition, transformation, and use [2,19,[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33]. The characterization of ochre materials has become an essential part of archeological pigment studies over the last decades, yet such studies are not without their own methodological issues.…”