Analysis of Mineral Pigments from the Gnishikadzor Area, Southeastern Armenia

Abstract

The territory of the Republic of Armenia is very rich with ores and different types of deposits, including resources of natural mineral pigments. They differ by large variation of colours and are represented by painted ores, clays, and earths, among which the most significant is the group of paints with yellow, red and brown shades (ochre). Vayots Dzor Province in South-Eastern Armenia is among the rich areas where painted earths are widely spread. Presence of red and brown ochre are very well visible in the south-western part of the province, in the gorge of the Gnishik River, which is also known as the Noravank Gorge, due to the monastic complex of Noravank located here. Red colour rocks in the area of the Noravank Gorge (Gnishikazdor) represented by the sedimentary strata of the Upper Devonian and are determined by the Famennian Stage (375-359 million years). The samples analysed were taken from the foothills of the Noravank Monastery and analysed by different techniques: Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS); FT-IR spectroscopy; XRD diffraction analysis, which allow to indicate the presence of different elements trough contrast variations (atomic number contrast), to determine spectral ranges where absorption peaks were detected, as well as to perform phase identifications. The results show that the concretion is a hard, compact mass of matter formed by the precipitation of mineral cement within the spaces between particles, and is found in sedimentary rock or soil. It is composed of a carbonate mineral such as calcite; an amorphous or microcrystalline form of silica such as chert, flint, jasper or an iron oxide or hydroxide such as goethite and hematite. Implementation of such kind of study is valuable for the future comparison of similar finds from the nearby prehistoric archaeological contexts, where inhabitants exploited red ochre as a pig.