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Archaeological Ochres of the Rock Art Site of Leopard Cave (Erongo, Namibia): Looking for Later Stone Age Sociocultural Behaviors

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Abstract

The use of ochre has been documented in many Middle Stone Age sites of Southern Africa. However, the literature on the exploitation of ochre within the archaeological contexts of Later Stone Age (LSA) rock art sites is scarce. Despite the discovery of several painted shelters within the Erongo Mountains (Namibia), no archaeological study of ochre assemblages has been conducted in the region. Here, we present the archaeological ochre assemblage recovered from a LSA sequence at the rock art shelter of Leopard Cave (Erongo, Namibia), spanning ca. 5,700 to 2,100 cal. BP. The use-wear traces present on some ochre fragments and the stone tools bearing red residues are indicative of different stages of ochre processing at the site. The presence of other artifacts, such as ostrich eggshell and bone beads with red residues, and the existence of rock paintings in the cave are pointers to the importance of ochre for understanding the sociocultural behaviors of the LSA populations in central Namibia.

Résumé

Bien que de nombreux sites du Middle Stone Age d’Afrique australe documentent l’utilisation de matières colorantes ferrugineuses, la littérature existante sur leur utilisation dans des contextes archéologiques de sites d’art rupestre du Later Stone Age (LSA) est rare. Malgré la découverte de plusieurs abris ornés riches de nombreux blocs de matières colorantes ferrugineuses dans les monts Erongo (Namibie), aucune étude n’a été mené sur ces matières premières dans cette région. Nous présentons dans cet article l’assemblage archéologique de matières colorantes ferrugineuses récupérées dans l’abri orné de Leopard Cave (Erongo, Namibie) au sein d’newapos;une séquence LSA, s’étendant d’environ 5700 à 2100 cal. a. BP. Les traces d’utilisations présentes sur certains blocs de matières colorantes ferrugineuses et la présence d’outils en pierre portant des traces de résidus rouges à leur surface attestent de l’existence de différentes «chaînes opératoires» de traitement des matières colorantes ferrugineuses sur le site. La présence d’autres artefacts portant des traces de résidus rouges tels que des perles en coquille d’oeuf d’autruche ou en os et l’existence dans l’abri de peintures rupestres soulignent l’importance d’étudier les matières colorantes pour comprendre les comportements socio-culturels des populations LSA en Namibie centrale.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are very grateful to Ms. and Mr. Rust and their family for their kind permission to access and excavate the archaeological site of Leopard Cave, located on their farm. This research was supported by grants from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the project “MANAM: Mission Archéologique en NAMibie,” the LaBex BCDiv (Biological and Cultural Diversity) for the project “Dynamique des peuples en Namibie à l’Holocène - NAMIBIE (Windhoek, Erongo)” both directed by D.P., the Observatoire des Patrimoines de Sorbonnes universités (OPUS) through the project “APaNam: Art rupestre et Patrimoine en Namibie” directed by M.L. Research by G.M. was funded by the Chaire Polyre of Sorbonne Universités. Permission to conduct research was granted by the National Heritage Council of Namibia (permit 11/2015 and permit renewal 04/2017 given to D.P.). We are grateful for the support of this institution, the National Museum of Namibia, and the French Embassy in Namibia. Finally, the authors wish to express their sincere gratitude to Professor Lyn Wadley (ESI, University of the Witwatersrand) for revising the English and the anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions.

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Mauran, G., Lebon, M., Lapauze, O. et al. Archaeological Ochres of the Rock Art Site of Leopard Cave (Erongo, Namibia): Looking for Later Stone Age Sociocultural Behaviors. Afr Archaeol Rev 37, 527–550 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10437-020-09394-7

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