Hunter-Gatherers Harvested and Heated Microbial Biogenic Iron Oxides to Produce Rock Art Pigment
Hunter-Gatherers Harvested and Heated Microbial Biogenic Iron Oxides to Produce Rock Art Pigment
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DOI：
10.1038/s41598-019-53564-w
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发表时间：
2019-11-19
影响因子：
4.6
通讯作者：
White, Tommi A.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
MacDonald, Brandi Lee;Stalla, David;White, Tommi A.
红色矿物色素的使用被认为是与人类进化发展、社会互动和行为复杂性相关的一系列特征的基本组成部分。几千年来，人们一直在收集富含铁的矿藏，并将其制成颜料，用于岩石艺术、个人装饰和殡葬活动，但人们对北美矿物加工技术的早期发展知之甚少。对北美太平洋西北部岩石艺术颜料的微量分析显示，生物矿化细菌细链菌（Leptothrix ochracea）产生的氧化铁的复杂使用；在最近的耐热、不褪色生物材料色素的研究进展中，这是一种重要的化能营养生物。在这里，我们展示了人类与这种细菌接触的证据，包括纳米结构和明显的热增强磁性，表明控制使用烟火技术是如何将生物氧化铁制备成油漆的关键特征。我们的研究结果表明，该研究区域的狩猎采集者通过采集以铁氧化细菌为主的水生微生物铁垫来制备颜料，随后在750摄氏度到850摄氏度的控制范围内将其加热。这种技术姿态是为了增强颜色特性，提高色牢度和抗降解性。这种技术生产的高耐热性和持久的岩石艺术涂料代表了一种专业的技术创新。我们的研究结果有助于建立一个关于晚全新世太平洋西北地区历史生态资源利用实践的知识体系。
Red mineral pigment use is recognized as a fundamental component of a series of traits associated with human evolutionary development, social interaction, and behavioral complexity. Iron-enriched mineral deposits have been collected and prepared as pigment for use in rock art, personal adornment, and mortuary practices for millennia, yet little is known about early developments in mineral processing techniques in North America. Microanalysis of rock art pigments from the North American Pacific Northwest reveals a sophisticated use of iron oxide produced by the biomineralizing bacterium Leptothrix ochracea; a keystone species of chemolithotroph recognized in recent advances in the development of thermostable, colorfast biomaterial pigments. Here we show evidence for human engagement with this bacterium, including nanostructural and magnetic properties evident of thermal enhancement, indicating that controlled use of pyrotechnology was a key feature of how biogenic iron oxides were prepared into paint. Our results demonstrate that hunter-gatherers in this area of study prepared pigments by harvesting aquatic microbial iron mats dominated by iron-oxidizing bacteria, which were subsequently heated in large open hearths at a controlled range of 750 degrees C to 850 degrees C. This technical gesture was performed to enhance color properties, and increase colorfastness and resistance to degradation. This skilled production of highly thermostable and long-lasting rock art paint represents a specialized technological innovation. Our results contribute to a growing body of knowledge on historical-ecological resource use practices in the Pacific Northwest during the Late Holocene.