Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Material Symbolism and Ochre Use in Middle Stone Age East-Central Africa

博士论文改进补助金：中石器时代中东部非洲的物质象征和赭石的使用

• 批准号: 1240694
• 负责人: Alison Brooks
• 金额: $ 2.52万
• 依托单位: George Washington University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-09-15 至 2015-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1240694&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Improvement; Grant; Material

Symbolism, including language, is widely viewed as an essential element of modern human behavior. Documenting the evolutionary origins of such behavior, however, has proven difficult. Ochre pigments (iron oxides) form a major part of the evidence used to interpret when humans began communicating through symbols. Excavations at Olorgesailie, Kenya; Karonga, Malawi; and Twin Rivers, Zambia have yielded ochre artifacts that may indicate very early occurrences of symbolism. Yet mineral pigments may also form naturally in archaeological sites, or may have technological rather than symbolic uses. This project will evaluate and further develop analytical approaches to the chemical "fingerprinting" of ochre artifacts and sources from these three African localities. Using Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry and Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis to facilitate the matching of artifacts to source deposits, the doctoral student Andrew Zipkin (George Washington University), under the supervision of Dr. Alison Brooks, will demonstrate the extent to which human ancestors were willing to seek out and transport specific pigments. This project also will use color quantifying technologies to determine if Middle Stone Age humans exhibited color preferences in the ochres that they collected and modified. Color preference potentially suggests symbolic use of ochre since the meaning given to different colors, such as in national flags, is a well-known aspect of modern human behavior.The dissertation's final aspect will be an experimental evaluation of proposed non-symbolic uses of ochre. The leading alternative explanation is that ochre was an ingredient in plant resin adhesives used to construct compound tools, like stone-tipped spears. In collaboration with material scientists, the investigators will measure the effectiveness of different ochre minerals in formulating adhesives to test if glue production rather than symbolic meaning could explain past ochre procurement choices.The research will contribute to the development of international collaborations between American, Australian, Canadian, Malawian, and Zambian researchers, as well as outreach activities for the general public. The development of new analytical approaches for "fingerprinting" mineral sources will find broad application in usage not just by archaeologists, but also by art historians, state agencies investigating the illegal transport of stolen antiquities, and forensic scientists.

象征主义，包括语言，被广泛认为是现代人类行为的基本要素。然而，证明这种行为的进化起源是困难的。 赭石色素（氧化铁）是用来解释人类何时开始通过符号进行交流的主要证据。在肯尼亚的Olorgesailie、马拉维的Karonga和赞比亚的Twin Rivers的考古发掘中，发现了赭石文物，这些文物可能表明了象征主义的早期出现。 然而，矿物颜料也可能在考古遗址中自然形成，或者可能具有技术用途而不是象征用途。 该项目将评价和进一步发展对这三个非洲地区的赭石文物和来源进行化学“指纹”的分析方法。利用激光烧蚀电感耦合等离子体质谱和仪器中子活化分析，以促进文物源存款匹配，博士生安德鲁Zipkin（乔治华盛顿大学），在博士的监督下。艾莉森布鲁克斯，将证明在何种程度上，人类祖先愿意寻找和运输特定的色素。该项目还将使用颜色量化技术来确定中石器时代的人类是否在他们收集和修改的赭石中表现出颜色偏好。 颜色偏好可能意味着象征性的使用赭石，因为赋予不同的颜色，如国旗的意义，是现代人类behavior.The论文的最后一个方面将是一个实验评估提出的非象征性用途的赭石。 另一种主要的解释是，赭石是植物树脂粘合剂的一种成分，用于制造复合工具，如石尖长矛。 研究人员将与材料科学家合作，测量不同赭石矿物在配制粘合剂中的有效性，以测试胶水生产而不是象征意义是否可以解释过去的赭石采购选择。这项研究将有助于美国，澳大利亚，加拿大，马拉维和赞比亚研究人员之间的国际合作，以及面向公众的推广活动。 “指纹”矿物来源的新分析方法的发展将不仅被考古学家广泛应用，而且也被艺术历史学家，调查被盗文物非法运输的国家机构和法医科学家广泛应用。