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People Traveled together with Ocher and Stone Reserves. Micro-XRF Mapping of Artifacts (Kovrizhka IV Upper Paleolithic Site, Transbaikal)

  • METHODS OF NATURAL SCIENCES IN THE STUDY OF CULTURAL HERITAGE OBJECTS
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Abstract

Ocher traces on artifacts from the Kovrizhka IV Upper Paleolithic site (Baikal-Patom Highlands, Transbaikal) are studied with micro-X-ray fluorescence analysis (micro-XRF) in the mapping mode. A scraper and microcore from the 6 and 2B cultural horizons of approximately 19.0 and 18.6 thousand years old are considered. A special feature of Kovrizhka IV is the various ocher patterns in the cultural horizons. In particular, ocher stains are visually observed on stone artifacts. The ocher on the surface of artifacts is identified with XRF mapping. The resulting XRF maps indicate the penetration of ocher onto the surfaces, edges, and microcracks of artifacts, which is possible due to prolonged friction. The location of the stains on the samples (before retouching the scraper and on the edges of the core faces) and the painted artifact in the layer in the lowest and earliest position indicate that it appeared at the site already in this form, i.e., they were brought together with ocher. It is concluded that ocher and stone artifacts were transported to the site in the same containers.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

M.A. Statkus and I.V. Abdrashitova are grateful to the Moscow State University Development Program for the opportunity to use the Bruker Tornado M4+ spectrometer.

Funding

This work was financially supported by the Russian Science Foundation (project no. 19-78-10084).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Irkutsk National Research Technical University, Irkutsk, Russia

    A. V. Tetenkin

  2. Institute of the Earth’s Crust, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Irkutsk, Russia

    E. I. Demonterova

  3. Faculty of Chemistry, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia

    M. A. Statkus & I. V. Abdrashitova

Authors
  1. A. V. Tetenkin
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  2. E. I. Demonterova
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  3. M. A. Statkus
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  4. I. V. Abdrashitova
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Correspondence to A. V. Tetenkin or E. I. Demonterova.

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Translated by A. Tulyabaev

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Tetenkin, A.V., Demonterova, E.I., Statkus, M.A. et al. People Traveled together with Ocher and Stone Reserves. Micro-XRF Mapping of Artifacts (Kovrizhka IV Upper Paleolithic Site, Transbaikal). Nanotechnol Russia 18, 726–733 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1134/S2635167623600347

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S2635167623600347

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