A multimethod analysis for tracing Gravettian red ochre provenance at Arene Candide Cave (NW Italy)

Abstract

Arene Candide Cave, a key site for Western Mediterranean prehistory, is famous for the discovery of the richly adorned Mid–Upper Palaeolithic burial of the ‘Young Prince’ and for its use as a burial site at the end of the Pleistocene (Late Epigravettian). In both contexts, red ochre was a conspicuous element of the burial practices. Unfortunately, few provenance studies and analytical data are available for the pigments recovered in the cave. Likewise, the geographical and geological origins of these colouring materials, which are naturally abundant in the Liguro-Provençal Arc, have received little to no attention despite their technical and symbolic value. During the 2008–2013 archaeological excavation at Arene Candide Cave, micromorphological samples were collected from the Upper Palaeolithic portion of the 1940s stratigraphic profiles, permitting a first description of site formation processes during the Gravettian. This led to the recognition of a Late Gravettian layer characterized by poorly sorted sediment rich in very small ochre fragments. This study establishes the provenance of these ochre fragments through the combined use of optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The results reveal a strong correspondence between the Arene Candide ochres and local ore sites, which were never considered before as potential sources. The mineralogical composition of the samples, characterized by the presence of barium sulphate and iron oxides, indicates that the Finalese area (NW Liguria) in which the site is located was the most likely source of the colouring pigments used by the Upper Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers of the Arene Candide Cave.