A Matter of Time – Applications of portable X-Ray Fluorescence in establishing rock art chronologies
Author(s): Julienne Bernard; Fraser Sturt; David Robinson; Clare Bedford
Year: 2015
Summary
The aim in this examination was to examine the potential for portable XRF technology to contribute to chronologies of in situ rock art. In order to do this pXRF data from Chumash rock art panels in the Wind Wolves Preserve in South Central California were compared with one another, and with readings from ochre found in excavated deposits. These ochre deposits are associated with other artefacts which have known dates. The results showed that multiple pigments were used within each rock art panel and within individual elements, indicating that multiple painting events may have taken place over a period of time. The pXRF data can be used to link areas of panels in which the same pigment material was used in order to tie together chronologies based on superimposition. The results also demonstrated the potential for comparison of chemical composition to be used to link ochre from excavated deposits with in situ rock art, thereby providing a probable date for its production.
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Cite this Record
A Matter of Time – Applications of portable X-Ray Fluorescence in establishing rock art chronologies. Clare Bedford, David Robinson, Fraser Sturt, Julienne Bernard. Presented at The 80th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, San Francisco, California. 2015 ( tDAR id: 397751)
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Keywords
Geographic Keywords
North America - California
Spatial Coverage
min long: -125.464; min lat: 32.101 ; max long: -114.214; max lat: 42.033 ;