A new Cambrian black pigment used during the late Middle Palaeolithic discovered at Scladina Cave (Andenne, Belgium)

Abstract

Sedimentary Unit 1A at Scladina Cave, Belgium has yielded archaeological material from a Middle Palaeolithic occupation dating to between 40,210 + 400/−350 BP and 37,300 + 370/−320 BP. Fifty-one fragments of a black, friable rock with a black streak were found in association with 194 burned bone fragments and several thousand lithic artefacts. This black material is interpreted as a pigment brought to the site by Neandertals.The pigment was analysed by petrography, XRD, Raman microspectroscopy, and other geochemical methods. It was identified as a highly siliceous graphitic siltstone. This is a very unique discovery, as European archaeological research has so far only recorded black pigments comprised of manganese oxides from the Middle Palaeolithic. Raman microspectroscopy is a non-destructive method able to distinguish the attributes of black siliceous materials that originate from different tectono-sedimentary contexts. By measuring the degree of alteration of the carbonaceous material, this method allowed for the determination of its geographical and geological origins: a Cambrian formation of very limited extent located near Ottignies, about 40 kilometres north-west of Scladina Cave. The absence of a drainage network connecting the two locations eliminates the possibility of natural transport, and supports its anthropogenic origin.