TY - JOUR

T1 - Microanalytical Investigation of Prehistoric Colorants from Uralian Rock Art (Ignatievskaya Cave and Idrisovskaya II and Zmiev Kamen’ Pictographs)

AU - Kiseleva, Daria

AU - Shagalov, Evgeny

AU - Pankrushina, Elizaveta

AU - Shirokov, Vladimir

AU - Khorkova, Arina

AU - Danilov, Danil

N1 - This research was funded by the Russian Science Foundation, grant number 22-18-00593.

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Uralian parietal and rock art (cave paintings and pictographs, or "pisanitsy") represents a unique archaeological and cultural phenomenon, comprising 90 sites stretching for more than 800 km from north to south, which date from the Paleolithic era extending into the present Holocene epoch. The identification of the nature of prehistoric colorants provides an insight into their provenance, manufacture and utilization, as well as contributing to the conservation and restoration of drawings. The studies of mineral, elemental and organic phase composition of the colorant micro-samples from the drawings of Ignatievskaya cave and Idrisovskaya II and Zmiev Kamen' pictographs (Southern and Middle Urals, Russia) discussed in the present work were carried out using a special set of microspectroscopic methods (SEM-EDS and Raman spectroscopy) offering high spatial resolution. The fatty acid composition of the organic phase was analyzed by GC-MS. The technology of colorant manufacture could have included thorough grinding and mixing of unheated hematite with an organic binder made from animal fat and a clayey extender in order to achieve the desired hue and intensity of the color. It is possible that the colorant was applied in layers (Idrisovskaya II and Zmiev Kamen' pictographs). The development of authigenic phosphate and sulfate (gypsum) mineralization, which is observed in all studied sites, as well as oxalate encrustation on the Idrisovskaya II pictograph, indicates the conditions and processes of secondary mineral formation.

AB - Uralian parietal and rock art (cave paintings and pictographs, or "pisanitsy") represents a unique archaeological and cultural phenomenon, comprising 90 sites stretching for more than 800 km from north to south, which date from the Paleolithic era extending into the present Holocene epoch. The identification of the nature of prehistoric colorants provides an insight into their provenance, manufacture and utilization, as well as contributing to the conservation and restoration of drawings. The studies of mineral, elemental and organic phase composition of the colorant micro-samples from the drawings of Ignatievskaya cave and Idrisovskaya II and Zmiev Kamen' pictographs (Southern and Middle Urals, Russia) discussed in the present work were carried out using a special set of microspectroscopic methods (SEM-EDS and Raman spectroscopy) offering high spatial resolution. The fatty acid composition of the organic phase was analyzed by GC-MS. The technology of colorant manufacture could have included thorough grinding and mixing of unheated hematite with an organic binder made from animal fat and a clayey extender in order to achieve the desired hue and intensity of the color. It is possible that the colorant was applied in layers (Idrisovskaya II and Zmiev Kamen' pictographs). The development of authigenic phosphate and sulfate (gypsum) mineralization, which is observed in all studied sites, as well as oxalate encrustation on the Idrisovskaya II pictograph, indicates the conditions and processes of secondary mineral formation.

UR - https://www.webofscience.com/wos/woscc/full-record/WOS:000915314500001?SID=EUW1ED0F89yAqm74S1WLAHLh9QpKA

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?partnerID=8YFLogxK&scp=85146738372

U2 - 10.3390/heritage6010004

DO - 10.3390/heritage6010004

M3 - Article

VL - 6

SP - 67

EP - 89

JO - Heritage

JF - Heritage

SN - 2571-9408

IS - 1

ER -