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Trace element analysis of ochre for modern and prehistoric pigment source use patterns

现代和史前颜料来源使用模式的赭石微量元素分析

基本信息

批准号：
1561176
负责人：
Andrew Zipkin
金额：
$ 4.52万
依托单位：
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2016
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2016-03-15 至 2017-10-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1561176&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Trace element analysis ochre modern

项目摘要

Dependence on symbolism to communicate information and mark identities is an essential attribute of modern humans. The use of red and yellow ochre pigments for symbolic purposes is among the most widespread and persistent of human cultural behaviors. However, the study of archaeological ochre has been hindered by ambiguity over how to interpret this iron-based pigment in the absence of obvious symbolic applications such as cave or rock art. This project combines archaeological, geological, and ethnographic methods to investigate prehistoric through modern use of ochre pigments. The investigators have already conducted interviews with the Maasai and Samburu peoples of Kenya, many of whom still use ochre in their daily lives, and identified outcrops of ochre minerals that these groups exploit for symbolic and functional purposes. Geochemical techniques proven to be effective at telling apart ochre from different sources will be used to analyze samples collected from ochre deposits, and to match them to paint samples from rock art sites and ochre artifacts from archaeological sites in the region. This project will refine minimally destructive methods that can be used to analyze the composition of ochre and other iron-containing materials for anthropological, geological, materials science, and forensic applications. Improving techniques for determining the geographic and geologic origin of ochre pigments and related materials has significant implications for identifying looted heritage items and forgeries. The project will also provide opportunities for public science education via museum outreach, international collaborations, and mentoring in the STEM sciences for underrepresented minority students. Recent discoveries of ochre pigments from Stone Age archaeological sites have shed light on the great temporal depth of human symbolic behavior. Our understanding of the evolutionary significance and potentially the meaning of ancient symbolism using pigments has been enhanced by novel geochemical techniques for provenance studies of ochre, particularly minimally destructive trace element fingerprinting by Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometry. The project builds on improvements in this method over the last decade by creating a database of trace element and stable isotope (strontium, lead, and iron) fingerprints for ochre sources currently or recently used by inhabitants of the Kenya Rift Valley. The Maasai and Samburu are among the few remaining peoples in East Africa with active rock art and ochre self-adornment traditions. They present the best opportunity for studying how modern humans interact with their geologic environment for symbolic purposes. Once completed, the source database will be used to determine the geologic provenance of ochre artifacts and rock art paints of Stone Age through recent origin that were sampled during field and museum research. This will allow for investigation of hypotheses about symbolically mediated versus least-cost (nearest source) models of mineral deposit exploitation, transport and trade of ochre pigments, and preferential use of specific pigment colors. In addition, the source fingerprint database will be made freely available online for other scientists to use in their own research upon completion of the project.

依赖象征来交流信息和标记身份是现代人的一个基本属性。将红色和黄色的赭石颜料用于象征目的是人类最普遍和最持久的文化行为之一。然而，在缺乏明显的象征性应用，如洞穴或岩石艺术的情况下，如何解释这种铁基颜料的模棱两可的问题阻碍了考古赭石的研究。该项目结合了考古学、地质学和人种学的方法，通过现代使用赭石颜料来调查史前时期。调查人员已经与肯尼亚的马赛人和桑布鲁人进行了面谈，他们中的许多人在日常生活中仍在使用赭石，并发现了这些团体出于象征和功能目的而开采的赭石矿物露头。已被证明能有效区分不同来源的赭石的地球化学技术将被用于分析从赭石矿床收集的样本，并将它们与来自岩石艺术遗址的油漆样本和来自该地区考古遗址的赭石文物进行匹配。该项目将改进破坏最小的方法，可用于分析赭石和其他含铁材料的成分，用于人类学、地质学、材料科学和法医应用。改进确定赭石颜料和相关材料的地理和地质来源的技术，对识别被掠夺的遗产物品和赝品具有重大意义。该项目还将通过博物馆外展、国际合作以及为代表性不足的少数族裔学生提供STEM科学方面的指导，为公众提供科学教育的机会。最近在石器时代考古遗址发现的赭色颜料揭示了人类象征性行为的巨大时间深度。我们对使用颜料的古代象征的进化意义和潜在意义的理解，通过新的地球化学技术来研究赭石的来源，特别是电感耦合等离子体质谱最小破坏性的痕量元素指纹分析，得到了加强。该项目建立在过去十年这种方法改进的基础上，建立了肯尼亚裂谷居民目前或最近使用的赭石来源的微量元素和稳定同位素(锶、铅和铁)指纹数据库。马赛人和桑布鲁人是东非仅存的几个拥有活跃的岩石艺术和赭石自我装饰传统的民族之一。它们为研究现代人如何为了象征目的而与其地质环境相互作用提供了最好的机会。一旦完成，来源数据库将被用来通过实地和博物馆研究期间采样的最近来源来确定石器时代赭石文物和岩石艺术颜料的地质来源。这将允许研究关于象征性调解与最低成本(最近来源)的矿藏开采、运输和交易的模式的假设，以及对特定颜料颜色的优先使用。此外，项目完成后，来源指纹数据库将在网上免费提供，供其他科学家在自己的研究中使用。