2012
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1112261109
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Use of red ochre by early Neandertals

Abstract: The use of manganese and iron oxides by late Neandertals is well documented in Europe, especially for the period 60–40 kya. Such finds often have been interpreted as pigments even though their exact function is largely unknown. Here we report significantly older iron oxide finds that constitute the earliest documented use of red ochre by Neandertals. These finds were small concentrates of red material retrieved during excavations at Maastricht-Belvédère, The Netherlands. The excavations exposed a series of wel… Show more

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Cited by 238 publications
(134 citation statements)
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“…Stalagmite tips served as containers in which ochre was stored and crushed into a pigment. Pigments are relatively frequent at Mousterian sites (Roebroeks et al 2012(Roebroeks et al .1889Neruda 2016.251), but it is still not known how the Neanderthals used them. Finds of pigments do not necessarily indicate symbolic behaviour, since they can be used for solely practical purposes (Petru 2008.12-13 with references).…”
Section: Neanderthalsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Stalagmite tips served as containers in which ochre was stored and crushed into a pigment. Pigments are relatively frequent at Mousterian sites (Roebroeks et al 2012(Roebroeks et al .1889Neruda 2016.251), but it is still not known how the Neanderthals used them. Finds of pigments do not necessarily indicate symbolic behaviour, since they can be used for solely practical purposes (Petru 2008.12-13 with references).…”
Section: Neanderthalsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Another rubbed hematite piece has been found at a site in Achenheim, France, and was used about 250 ka ago (Thévenin 1976) [160]. Hematite remains excavated with lithics at Maastricht-Belvédère, Holland, must have been transported some distance and were deposited about the same time (Roebroeks et al 2012) [150]. Then, there is the apparently shaped slab of ochre Howell (1966: 129) [104] reported from the major Acheulian site of Ambrona in Spain.…”
Section: Lower Paleolithic Paleoartmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Should the Terra Amata claim for deliberate abrasion be confirmed by further analysis, it would take pigment use back to either MIS 9.3 (~322-335 ka) or MIS 11.3 (~395-425 ka), both representing peak interglacial conditions (see Falguères et al 1991 for dating estimates, Valensi 2001 for faunal and palynological references). A more secure claim, but lacking evidence of use-wear, comes from Maastricht-Belvédère, dating to either MIS 9 or MIS 7 (Roebroeks et al 2012 blage level analyses are available for six sites: Pech I, Arcysur-Cure, Caminade Est, Cueva Antón, Cueva de los Aviones, and Cioarei-Borsteni. The triple requirement for deep sequences, adequate information on the pigments, together with paleoenvironmental indices and/or chronometric dating, greatly reduces the pool of potential test-sites.…”
Section: Correlating Neanderthal Pigmentmentioning
confidence: 99%