Abstract
Samples of prehistoric rock paintings from the Big Bend region of Texas were analysed using Raman microscopy. This was the first chemical/mineralogical study of ancient paints from the region, and thus allowed us to test the utility of Raman microscopy as the principal tool for analysing pictograph rock paints. The method is non-destructive and non-invasive, two extremely important criteria for the study of these artifacts. The Raman study was followed by scanning electron microscopic, Fourier transform IR spectroscopic, powder x-ray diffractometric, and gas chromatographic–mass spectrometric analyses to test the results obtained from the Raman analysis. It was concluded that the combination of Raman microscopy and scanning electron microscopy provided the most information and required the least amount of sample. Mineralogical, chemical and elemental information was obtained on the paint materials, including the pigments and binders. Furthermore, it was possible to identify and establish the relationship between the paints and the natural surrounding matrix, which included calcium sulphate (gypsum) and calcium oxalate monohydrate (whewellite). Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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