Abstract
The thermal history of four quartz-rich ochre samples from an Upper Palaeolithic site was studied. This work is based on the changes in thermal activation characteristics (TAC) of the 110 ∘ C TL peak of the quartz inclusions. An isothermal study of a previously unheated sample has highlighted the importance of the duration of annealing on the sensitization of quartz. In fact, the sensitivity change as a function of the duration of annealing is not monotonic. For that reason it seems necessary to consider the “equivalent thermal history” H E rather than an “equivalent temperature”. Isochronal annealing experiments demonstrate that the initial rise of sensitization overestimates the true H E by about 100 ∘ C . Using a geological sample we have thus developed an empirical approach which allows the true H E of artifacts to be determined. Reheating of ochre originally heated in antiquity results in desensitization of the TAC.
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