A Comparison of Contexts of Red Ochre Use in Paleoindian and Upper Paleolithic Sites

Abstract

Red ochre is one of nine traits common to Paleoindian and Upper Paleolithic complexes. The similarity goes beyond simple presence, however, and encompasses virtual identity of the context in which ochre appears. These include burials, non-mortuary ritual context, and domestic context. Data are assembled here comparing the use of ochre in each context in the Upper Paleolithic and the Paleoindian periods. Particular attention is given to the Upper Paleolithic sites in the Soviet Union and the Paleoindian sites on the Plains. The earlier prehistory of ochre use is overviewed, and the possibility of ochre having symbolic significance in the Upper Paleolithic and Paleoindian periods is discussed.

Processing ochre in the Middle Stone Age: Testing the inference of prehistoric behaviours from actualistically derived experimental data

“…Whereas symbolic readings (e.g., Knight, 1991;Knight et al, 1995;Power, 2001;Power and Aiello, 1997;Power and Watts, 1997;Watts, 1999Watts, , 2002Watts, , 2009 draw largely from ethnographic (Bleek and Lloyd, 1911;Marshall, 1961Marshall, , 1976Viegas Guerreiro, 1968) and historical accounts (Campbell, 1815;Burchell, 1822;Methuen, 1846;Stow, 1905;Silberbauer, 1965), functional interpretations (e.g., Keeley, 1980;Velo, 1984;Roper, 1991;Mahaney et al, 2000;Riel-Salvatore and Clark, 2001;Wadley et al, 2004Wadley et al, , 2009Lombard, 2007;Arocena et al, 2008;Prinsloo et al, 2008;Chambers, 2010) derive mainly from archaeological evidence and experimental results.…”

Use of red ochre by early Neandertals

“…From the Upper Paleolithic record, red ochre is indeed well known for its use in cave paintings and in ritual burial contexts. More "mundane" or "domestic" uses of red ochre (derived from hematite, Fe 2 O 3 ) are known from the ethnographic record of modern hunter-gatherers, for instance, as (internal and external) medication, as a food preservative, in tanning of hides, and as insect repellent (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9). Archeological studies have identified ochre powder as an ingredient in the manufacture of compound adhesives (10).…”

Geochemical characterization of ochre from central coastal British Columbia, Canada

“…It has been described as medicinally useful (Mahaney et al, 1993;Velo, 1984Velo, , 1986, symbolically charged (Marshack, 1981;Taçon, 2004), functionally valuable as a filler for adhesive (Lombard, 2005;Wadley, 2005), a preservative (Roper, 1991;Wadley, 2005), as well as pigment for rock art, as house floor deposits, as wall painting or pottery decoration, and in association with burials (Roper, 1991).…”