Elemental fingerprinting of Kenya Rift Valley ochre deposits for provenance studies of rock art and archaeological pigments
Elemental fingerprinting of Kenya Rift Valley ochre deposits for provenance studies of rock art and archaeological pigments
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DOI：
10.1016/j.quaint.2016.08.032
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发表时间：
2017-02
影响因子：
2.2
通讯作者：
Andrew M. Zipkin;S. Ambrose;J. Hanchar;P. Piccoli;A. Brooks;E. Anthony
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Andrew M. Zipkin;S. Ambrose;J. Hanchar;P. Piccoli;A. Brooks;E. Anthony
肯尼亚大裂谷含有许多赭石资源，目前被土著人民用于装饰、仪式和艺术。赭石颜料出现在25万年前的岩石艺术和考古遗址中。地质物源来源的化学分析是文化遗产、考古和古人类研究中重建考古文物来源的第一步。赭石源化学成分数据库的开发有助于该地区社会互动网络的重建和文化遗产保护工作。激光烧蚀-电感耦合等离子体质谱（LA-ICPMS）和仪器中子活化分析（INAA）等技术经常用于含铁矿物颜料的成分分析和来源。事实证明，由于红色赭石和黄色赭石的岩石和矿物种类繁多，以及导致其组成变化的各种过程，包括形成模式、母岩物质的沉积搬运和成岩作用，寻找矿石具有挑战性。只有当来源内部的差异小于来源之间的差异时，才有可能将样本归因到特定的来源（来源假设）。在这里，我们介绍了一项研究的结果，该研究使用LA-ICPMS来确定与肯尼亚裂谷中部三个大型火山中心相关的十个赭石源的源间和源内地球化学变化。我们的研究结果表明，无论是在大型火山中心的尺度上，还是在这些火山中心的个别赭石露头的尺度上，来源之间的化学成分差异都大于来源内部的变化。在地方和区域尺度上对来源化学指纹的明确区分满足了原产地假设，并表明对肯尼亚赭石文物、残留物和岩石艺术的来源研究将是可行的。
The Kenya Rift Valley contains many ochre sources that are currently used by indigenous peoples for adornment, rituals, and art. Ochre pigments occur in rock art and archaeological sites spanning over 250,000 years. Chemical analysis for provenience of geological sources is the first step in the process of reconstructing provenance of archaeological artifacts for cultural heritage, archaeological, and paleoanthropological research. Development of an ochre source chemical composition database can facilitate reconstruction of social interaction networks and cultural heritage conservation efforts in this region. Techniques such as Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) and Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) are often used for compositional analysis and sourcing of ferruginous mineral pigments. Sourcing has proven challenging due to the diverse range of rocks and minerals that are classified as red and yellow ochres, and the diverse processes that induce variation in composition, including modes of formation, sedimentary transport of parent materials, and diagenesis. Attribution of samples to specific sources is possible only when variation within sources is less than differences between sources (the Provenience Postulate). Here we present the results of a study using LA-ICPMS to determine inter- and intra-source geochemical variations for ten ochre sources associated with three large volcanic centers in the central Rift Valley of Kenya. Our results show that differences in chemical composition among sources are greater than variation within sources, both at the scale of large volcanic centers and of individual ochre outcrops within these centers. Clear differentiation of source chemical fingerprints at local and regional scales satisfies the Provenience Postulate, and suggests that provenance studies of ochre artifacts, residues, and rock art in Kenya will be feasible.