Abstract
AbstractA complete Middle Stone Age ochre piece was unintentionally collected and fully preserved within a micromorphological block sample intended to characterise a 74 ± 3 ka occupation horizon at Blombos Cave, South Africa. Previously recovered ochre pieces from the same stratigraphic context (Still Bay) have displayed intricate modification patterns with significant behavioural implications. Yet, in the case of the trapped ochre, a direct visual assessment of its surfaces was impossible due to its impregnated state. In this study, we demonstrate how we successfully reconstructed three‐dimensionally and characterised the block‐sampled ochre piece using high‐resolution microcomputed tomography scanning coupled with a range of microanalytical techniques, including optical petrography, micro‐Fourier transform infra‐red spectroscopy, micro‐X‐ray fluorescence and micro‐Raman spectroscopy. Through a morphometric analysis of the score marks present on the trapped ochre's reconstructed surface, we were able to assess the types of modifications and the nature of the actions that created them. Our results show that a block sample‐based study of archaeological artefacts allows for a comprehensive assessment of their depositional and microcontextual setting, their external morphology and microtopography, as well as their internal texture and geochemical properties. We suggest that this type of context‐sensitive, multiscalar and multidisciplinary investigation may also prove beneficial in the study of conventionally recovered archaeological artefacts.
Highlights
During the last decade, archaeological micromorphology has been successfully applied to an increasing number of Middle Stone Age (MSA) sites in southern Africa (e.g., Goldberg et al, 2009; Haaland et al, 2017; Karkanas et al, 2015; Larbey et al, 2019; Marean et al, 2000; Miller et al, 2013, 2016)
We combined 3D field documentation, micromorphology and high‐resolution micro‐CT scanning with microanalytical techniques applied directly on the micromorphological slab and thin sections
The trapped ochre piece was deposited within a moderately reworked occupation deposit of the upper M2 phase, alongside other artefacts such as lithics, bone fragments and shellfish. It was a minimum of 5.9 × 3.2 × 3.7 cm in size, making it one of the largest modified MSA ochre pieces recovered from Blombos Cave (BBC)
Summary
Archaeological micromorphology has been successfully applied to an increasing number of Middle Stone Age (MSA) sites in southern Africa (e.g., Goldberg et al, 2009; Haaland et al, 2017; Karkanas et al, 2015; Larbey et al, 2019; Marean et al, 2000; Miller et al, 2013, 2016). 60‐mm long) was collected as a part of a micromorphological block sample (BBC‐ 13‐16) originally intended to characterise a 74 ± 3 ka occupation horizon within the MSA sequence at Blombos Cave (BBC), South Africa (Figures 1 and 2). Opportunity to study these important MSA artefacts from a range of new perspectives For this reason, we use here a combination of archaeological micromorphology, 3D field photogrammetry and high‐ resolution micro‐CT scanning, combined with a suite of microanalytical techniques (micro‐Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy [FTIR], micro‐X‐ray fluorescence [XRF] and micro‐Raman), to characterise the trapped ochre, both in terms of its depositional setting, its morphology, its microstructure and geochemical composition, as well as the nature and location of anthropogenic surface modifications. Both reference ochre pieces were ground and facetted before being scored (Henshilwood et al, 2002) and Henshilwood et al (2009) report—besides the occurrence of engravings—the presence of microstriations and striations on their surfaces
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