Study of color pigments associated to archaic chinchorro mummies and grave goods in Northern Chile (7000–3500 B.P.)

Marcela Sepúlveda,Hélene Rousseliere,Bernardo Arriaza,Calogero M Santoro,Philippe Walter,Elsa Van Elslande,Vivien Standen

doi:10.1186/2050-7445-2-7

Abstract

This article presents the results of physical–chemical characterization of the layers of coating covering the bodies, faces and stuffed of four mummified human bodies and seven grave goods from the Chinchorro Archaic funerary tradition that inhabited the Atacama Desert of the far northern coast of Chile. Using Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy-Dispersive X-Rays (SEM-EDX) and X-Ray Diffraction (μDRX), the study identified the use of different pigments including iron, manganese and copper oxides that were combined into different preparations or pictorial recipes for paste and coating bodies and faces. The results indicate that the Chinchorro, an archaic hunting, gathering and fishing society (7000- 3500 B.P.) managed a complex color technology for their mortuary practices.

Highlights

The Chinchorro Tradition extended from 7000 to 3700 BP, which corresponds to the Archaic Period in the Andeans Region
Layer 4 displays a more homogeneous composition in terms of the size and color of the inclusions, which are embedded within a brown matrix similar to the previous layer
Results obtained from the analysis of the coatings applied to the mummies indicate that the mummies were painted several times, as we observed different painting layers

Summary

Introduction

The Chinchorro Tradition extended from 7000 to 3700 BP, which corresponds to the Archaic Period in the Andeans Region These hunting, gathering and fishing people inhabited Southern Peru and Northern Chile, living along the coast taking advantage of a wide and abundant range of coastal marine resources generated by the Pacific Ocean’s cold Humboldt Current [1]. As they settled on particular coastal spots huge accumulation shell middens have enable us to construct their daily lives, while their extensive cemeteries, found on the slopes of coastal bluffs and within the domestic areas, contain multiple overlapping packaged burials. In practicing mummification or “the materialization of death” [12], these coastal huntergatherers employed complex techniques to prepare the body and used a wide variety of materials available in their surroundings, including wood, plant fiber, animal skin and hair, ash, clay and pigments

Methods

Results

Conclusion