Middle Stone Age Ochre Processing Tools Reveal Cultural and Behavioral Complexity
Middle Stone Age humans in East Africa may have employed varied techniques to process ochre for functional and symbolic uses, according to a study published November 2, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Daniela Rosso from the University of Bordeaux, France, and colleagues.
Ochre fragments-which are rocks containing iron oxides, red or yellow in color-have often been found at Middle Stone Age sites and have played a role in shaping the cultures of early African Homo sapiens.
Credit: D.E. Rosso and F. d’Errico
The authors of the present study used microscopy, spectroscopy and X-ray techniques to analyze 21 ochre-processing tools and two ochre-stained artefacts from the Porc-Epic Cave, a 40,000-year-old Middle Stone Age site in Ethiopia.
Location of Porc-Epic Cave: a: map of Ethiopia with location of the site; b: view of the cliff where the site is located. The arrow indicates the entrance of the cave; c: view of the cave from its entrance
“This study analyses the largest collection of such tools, found at Porc-Epic Cave, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, in levels dated at c. 40,000 years ago,” says Rosso. “Ochre processing at Porc-Epic Cave reflects a high degree of behavioral complexity, and represents ochre use that was probably devoted to a variety of functions.”
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Source: http://www.ineffableisland.com/2016/11/middle-stone-age-ochre-processing-tools.html
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