Alan Watchman

Results are reported from the second phase of a rock art dating project in the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg and the Biggarsberg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Eight accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon determinations, obtained on oxalates underlying and overlying rock paintings, show that uKhahlamba-Drakensberg parietal art predates 2000 b.p. and is older than previously believed. Moreover, age estimates obtained from excavated deposits and rock paintings support each other in indicating that hunter-gatherers abandoned the area between 1600 and 600 years ago. Finally, the conclusion that parietal art in the Biggarsberg predates 3000 years, reached through the excavation of painted slabs at Maqonqo Shelter, is confirmed.

The significance of ochre in Indigenous Australia is well documented. Several large, well-known quarries containing ochre that is highly sought after have been
described in the archaeological literature, however less attention has been paid to smaller, regionally and locally significant quarries. In this paper a small yellow ochre quarry (VSTA_20140611_1) from the Central Pilbara, where evidence of paint preparation is preserved in the form of residues in two in situ grinding hollows, is described in order to address this oversight. Portable XRF (pXRF) analysis of the pigment in the quarry itself and the paint in the hollows was undertaken to understand the chemistry of the pigmentaceous minerals, to explore the taphonomy of the ochre seam, and to gauge variation within the source. Chemistry indicates that the VSTA_20140611_1 quarry is composed of an iron mineral (likely a hydroxide such as goethite), with Fe abundances consistently between 10.7 and 30%. Typical of the regional geology, the yellow
pigment is consistently siliceous, with an Si abundance of between 5.8 and 20.4%. As there are no painted motifs in the rockshelter containing the VSTA_20140611_1 quarry, nor on the suitable BIF surfaces nearby, it is considered highly likely that the surviving paint produced on-site was used for
either body decoration or the adornment of artefacts, rather than for rock art production. Nevertheless, the similarity in chemical composition between the
VSTA_20140611_1 pigments and that of motifs painted in sites a few kilometres away suggests that, in addition to immediate processing and use at the site, ochre
from this quarry may have been transported to rockshelters in the vicinity and used for rock art production.

... 1 Department of Archaology & Natural History, Research School of Pacific & Asian Studies, Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia 2 Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia, Centro INAH Baja California Sur, La Paz, Mexico 3 Department of ...

Dark red paint on a fallen block of sandstone at the Great Gallery site was sampled and dated. This test of the age of the Barrier Canyon Style of rock painting is part of a preliminary analysis of the antiquity of the style. Arising from this study are questions concerning the probable subcategories within the broad style because age estimates for various motifs range from Early Archaic to the Late Basketmaker periods. This paper describes the analysis of the paint and rock, and the steps necessary to remove contaminants prior to determining the age of the paint.

Abstract.  This paper presents the results and interpretations of a pilot study of pigment characterisations conducted between 2002 and 2006 on the rock art assemblage of the south Woronora Plateau located immediately west of Wollongong, New South Wales. Eighteen samples from ten sites are described. Analyses of the geochemistry, mineralogy and micro-morphology of samples was undertaken using a combination of scanning electron microscopy including energy dispersive x-ray analysis, x-ray diffraction, particle induced x-ray emission and particle induced gamma-ray emission techniques. With one exception the analyses show that composite clay-based paints were used to produce both iconic and non-iconic rock art on the Woronora Plateau and adjacent Mittagong Tablelands. We discuss differences in the processing of paints used for iconographic and stencil art, and consider the possible chronological and behavioural implications of paint chemistry and morphology. The results of the study, while indicative, provide an exciting example of the type of archaeometric work which can be undertaken successfully in the taphonomically complex Hawkesbury Sandstone rockshelters of the Sydney Basin.

This paper presents the results of a multidisciplinary investigation into a dark rock coating at the Ngaut Ngaut heritage complex in South Australia (SA) using geological and botanical examination, Raman microscopy, x-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and infrared analyses. The coating analysed contains a mixture of calcite, quartz, gypsum and weddellite. The presence of calcite and quartz can be explained by the underlying clastic fossiliferous limestone, while the most probable explanation for the origin of the gypsum is via ground water. The weddellite was likely formed from solutions derived from the reaction of calcite with oxalic acid through the intervention of surface microflora, such as algae. This article provides the first record of weddellite in any context in SA. These findings have a number of implications—one being that the oxalate mineral in the rock coating could potentially be used to conduct accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon analysis and thereby refine our understanding of the rock art chronology at Ngaut Ngaut. A greater understanding of the rates of accumulation may also be useful for management purposes, as the nature of the rock coating may be contributing to long-term exfoliation. Indeed, it is argued that algal colonisation of the limestone (together with other probable microfloral activities) is likely involved in the production of a film over the porous surface, leading to salt weathering.

To date, most attention on rock art in the Pilbara has been focused on the extensive engravings, particularly in the coastal region. The current project was designed as part of BHP Billiton’s Sustainable Heritage Strategy to explore and inform approaches to manage the lesser known painted art sites of the Central Pilbara. Revisiting previously identified sites, as well as newly located sites, detailed site recording, photogrammetry, pXRF, motif analysis and conservation assessment was undertaken. Results indicate some similarities with the repertoire of engraved motifs in the region, but also some unique features. Preservation factors including mineral precipitation, water movement and the nature of the pigments themselves have resulted in relatively poor survival of painted art. Superimpositioning has allowed a relative chronology to be developed which will hopefully be tested against various age determination techniques in the future. Although rarely painting on rock surfaces today, Banjima people hold considerable knowledge about pigments used for contemporary body decoration and ceremony, as well as the meanings of certain motifs and sites; this information has provided invaluable in better understanding the painted art sites of the Central Pilbara.