The latest findings at Blombos are the remains of what appears to be two toolkits for creating ochre pigments, located very close together and dated to 100,000 years ago. Ochre is another word for iron oxide, a sandy clay mineral and natural pigment found in various forms and used by people as pigment in all parts of the world. Its earliest use as pigment is documented some 300,000 years ago, at GnJh-03 in the Kaphthurin Formation of East Africa, and the site of Twin Rivers in Zambia. Reported in Science in October of 2011 is the evidence for ochre processing identified at Blombos.
Processing sites for ochre are rife in the archaeological record: worked ochre is commonly found at sites of many ages. Ochre tool kits are identified in the archaeological record as some portion of the elements that go into making ochre pigment: the raw material, something to grind it, and a receptacle or paint pot, all stained with ochre. Interestingly, a very common paint pot found at sites throughout the world is a mollusk shell, two of which were recovered from the tool kits at Blombos. The flattish, pocket-shaped cup with a smooth and firm nacre that fits in your hand is a perfect receptacle for red ochre paints.
Sources
- Blombos Cave
- Ochre
- Guide to the Middle Stone Age
- Howiesons Poort and Still Bay
- Early Modern Behavior
- Blombos Cave Official Site
Henshilwood C, D'Errico F, Van Niekerk K, Coquinot Y, Jacobs Z, Lauritzen S-E, Menu M, and Garcia-Moreno R. 2011. A 100,000-Year-Old Ochre-Processing Workshop at Blombos Cave, South Africa. Science 334:219-222.
Wadley L. 2010. Cemented ash as a receptacle or work surface for ochre powder production at Sibudu, South Africa, 58,000 years ago. Journal of Archaeological Science 37(10):2397-2406.
