Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-5wvtr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-17T10:48:00.692Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Perspectives and potentials for absolute dating prehistoric rock paintings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Alan Watchman
Alan Watchman*
Affiliation:
Group for Education, Research and Dating of Rock Art, 192 St-Omer, Lévis, Québec, Canada G6V 5C7
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Absolute dating of prehistoric rock paintings is an exciting archaeological pursuit. Sophisticated sample collection, handling and pretreatment methods and new analytical equipment and techniques are minimizing contamination and permitting identification of trace amounts of organic substances in prehistoric paints. Radiocarbon dating using Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) is producing dates for minute residues of blood, charcoal and plant fibres, either accidentally or deliberately incorporated in paintings. Carbon-bearing laminations, such as oxalate-crusts and silica skins, which have accumulated under and over rock art, have also been recently dated.

Type
Papers
Information
Antiquity , Volume 67 , Issue 254 , March 1993 , pp. 58 - 65
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 1993

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bada, J.L. & Protsch, R. 1973. Racemization reaction of aspartic acid and its use in dating fossil bones, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA 70(5): 1331–4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Berndt, R.M. 1972. The Walmadjeri anxd Gugadja, in Bicchieri, M.G. (ed.), Hunters and gatherers today: 177–216. New York (NY): Holt, Reinhart & Winston.Google Scholar
Blesele, M. 1974. A contemporary Bushman’s comments on the Brandberg paintings, Newsletter South West Africa Scientific Society 15(7): 3–9.Google Scholar
Brandl, E.J. 1972. Thylacine designs in Arnhem Land rock paintings, Archaeology and Physical Anthropology in Oceania 7: 24–30.Google Scholar
Brandl, E.J. 1973. Australian Aboriginal paintings in western and central Arnhem Land. Canberra: Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies. Australian Aboriginal Studies 52, Prehistory and Material Culture Series 9Google Scholar
Cattaneo, C., Gelsthorpe, K. Phillips, P. & Sokol, R.J. 1990. Blood in ancient human bone, Nature 347: 339.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chaloupka, G. 1984. From palaeoart to casual drawings. Darwin: Northern Territory Museum of Arts and Sciences.Google Scholar
Clottes, J., Menu, M. & Walter, P. i990. New light on the Niaux paintings, Rock Art Research 7(1): 21–26.Google Scholar
Cole, N. & Watchman, A. 1992. Painting with plants: investigating fibres in Aboriginal rock paintings at Laura, north Queensland, Rock Art Research 9(1): 27–34.Google Scholar
Conard, N.J., Breunig, P. Gonska, H. & Marinetti, G. 1988. The feasibility of dating rock paintings from Brandberg, Namibia, with 14C, Journal of Archaeological Science 15: 463–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Corner, J. 1968. Pictographs (Indian Rock Paintings) in the interior of British Columbia, Vernon, British Columbia. (Published by the author.)Google Scholar
David, B. & Cole, N. 1990. Rock art and inter-regional interaction in northeast Australian prehistory, Antiquity 64: 788–806.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
David, B., David, M. Flood, J. & Frost, R. i990. Rock paintings of the Yingalarri region: preliminary results and implications for an archaeology of inter-regional relations in northern Australia, Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 28(2): 443–62.Google Scholar
Denninger, I.E. 1971. The use of paper chromatography to determine the age of albuminous binders and its application to rock painting, South African Journal of Science (Supplement 2): 80–84.Google Scholar
Dewdney, S. & Kidd, K.E. 1967. Indian Rock paintings of the Great Lakes. 2nd edition. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.Google Scholar
Fushun, L. 1991. Rock art at Huashan, Guangxi Province, China, Rock Art Research 8: 29–32.Google Scholar
Grant, C. 1967. Rock art of the American Indian. New York (NY): Promontory Press.Google Scholar
Harrington, J.P. 1933. Annotations, in Boscana, G. & Hanna, P.T. (ed.), Chinigchinich: 142. Santa Ana: Fine Arts Press.Google Scholar
Jones, J.B. & Segnit, E.R. 1971. The nature of opal. 1. Nomenclature and constituent phases, Journal Geological Society of Australia 18(1): 57–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, T. 1981. The nature of opal. 1. Nomenclature and constituent phases, Canadian Rock Art Research Associates Newsletter 15: 44–9.Google Scholar
Judson, S. 1959. Palaeolithic paint, Science 130(3377): 708.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kimber, R.W.L. x0026; Griffin, C.V. 1988. Amino acid racemization of soils and sediments, in Prescott, (ed.): 22–9.Google Scholar
Lajoux, J.D. 1963. Amino acid racemization of soils and sediments. London: Thames & Hudson.Google Scholar
Lapeyerie, F. 1988. Oxalate synthesis fromsoil bicarbonate by the mycorrhizal fungus Paxillus involutus, Plant and Soil 110: 3–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leechman, D. 1937. OAboriginal paints and dyes in Canada, Proceedings and Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada 3rd Series, 26, section 2.Google Scholar
Lewis, D.J. 1977. More striped designs in Arnhem Land rock paintings, Archaeology and Physical Anthropology in Oceania 12(2): 98–111.Google Scholar
Lewis, D.J. 1988. The rock paintings of Arnhem Land, Australia. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports. International series 415.Google Scholar
Lhote, H. 1959. The search for the Tassili frescoes. Translated by Brodrick, A.J. London: Hutchinson.Google Scholar
Lounema, R. 1988. Messages from the past, Look at Finland 2: 4–11.Google Scholar
Loy, T.H., Jones, R. Nelson, D.E. Meehan, B. Vogel, J. Southon, J. & Cosgrove, R. 1990. Accelerator radiocarbon dating of human blood proteins in pigments from Late Pleistocene art sites in Australia, Antiquity 64: 110–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Malajczuk, N. & Cromack, K. JR. 1982. Accumulation of calcium oxalate in the mantle of ectomycorrhyzal roots of, Pinus radiata and Eucalyptus marginata, New Phytologist 92: 527–31.Google Scholar
Mccarthy, D., Payen, L. & Ennis, P. In preparation. Use of amino acid racemization methods on rock paintings at Motte Rimrock Reserve.Google Scholar
Mcdonald, J., Officer, K. Jull, T. Donahue, D. Head, J. & Ford, B. 1990. Investigating 14C AMS: dating prehistoric rock art in the Sydney sandstone basin, Australia, Rock Art Research 7: 83–92.Google Scholar
Michener, C.D. 1970. Superfamily Apoidea, in The insects of Australia: a textbook for students and research workers: 943–51. Canberra: Division of Entomology, Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organization, Melbourne University Press.Google Scholar
Mountford, C.P. 1976. Nomads of the Australian desert. Adelaide: Rigby.Google Scholar
Murray-WALLACE, C.V. x0026; Kimber, R.W.L. 1988. A review of amino acid racemization dating and its application to Australian Quaternary marine molluscs – current trends and future prospects, in Prescott, (ed.): 6–21.Google Scholar
Nelson, D.E. 1991. A new method for carbon isotope analysis of protein, Science 251: 552–4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nelson, D.E., Chaloupka, G. Ch1Ppindale, C. & Southon, J. 1992. AMS dating: possibilities, problems and some results. Abstract, Dating of Rock Art Symposium, Australian Rock Art Research Association, 2nd Congress, Cairns, September 1992.Google Scholar
Pager, H. 1972. Ndedema. A documentation of the rock paintings of Ndedema Gorge. Portland (OR): International Scholarly Book Services IncInternational Scholarly Book Services Inc.Google Scholar
Pepe, C., Clottes, J. Menu, M. x0026; Walter, P. 1991. Le liant des peintures paléolithiques ariégeoises, Compte Rendu Académie Science Paris (Préhistoire) 312: 929–34.Google Scholar
Prescott, J.R. (ed.). 1988. Archaeometry: Australasian studies 1988. Adelaide: University of Adelaide.Google Scholar
Rosenfeld, A. 1988. Rock art conservation in Australia, Canberra: Australian Government Printer. Special Australian Heritage Publication 2.Google Scholar
Roth, W.E. 1904. Domestic implements, arts and manufactures, Brisbane: Government Printer. North Queensland Ethnography Bulletin 7.Google Scholar
Rudner, I. 1982. Khoisan pigments and paints and their relationship to rock paintings, Cape Town: South African Museum. Annals of the South African Museum 87.Google Scholar
Russ, J., Hyman, M. Shafer, H.J. & Rowe, M.W. 1990. Radiocarbon dating of prehistoric rock paintings by selective oxidation of organic carbon, Nature 348(6303): 710–11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Severin, T. 1973. Vanishing primitive man. London: Thames x0026; Hudson.Google Scholar
Spencer, B. x0026; Gillen, F.G. 1912. Across Australia. London: Macmillan.Google Scholar
Taylor, E.R. JR., 1983. Non-concordance of radiocarbon and amino acid racemization deduced age estimates on human bones, Radiocarbon 25: 647–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Valladas, H., Cachier, H. & Arnold, M. 1990. AMS–14C dates for the prehistoric Cougnac cave paintings and related bone remains, Rock Art Research 7(1): 18–19.Google Scholar
Valladas, H., Cachier, H. Maurice, P. Bernaldo DE QUIROS, F. Clottes, J. Cabrera VALDES, V. Uzquiano, P. & Arnold, M. 1992. Direct radiocarbon dates for prehistoric paintings at the Altamira, El Castillo and Niaux caves, Nature 357: 68–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van der Merwe, N.J., Sealy, J. & Yates, R. 1987. First accelerator carbon-14 date from a rock painting, South African Journal of Science 83: 56–7.Google Scholar
Wainwright, I.N.M. 1985. Rock art conservation research in Canada, Bulletin del Centro Camuno di Studi Preistorici 22: 15–46.Google Scholar
Wainwright, I.N.M. x0026; Taylor, J.M. 1978. On the occurrence of a parallel pigment layer phenomenon in the cross–sectional structure of samples from two rock painting sites in Canada, in Pearson, C. (ed.), Conservation of rock art: 20–31. Perth: Proceedings International Workshop on the Conservation of Rock art, Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material.Google Scholar
Walston, S. x0026; Dolanski, J. 1976. Two painted and engraved sandstone sites in Australia, Studies in Conservation 21: 1–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Watchman, A. 1990a. A summary of occurrences of oxalate rich crusts in Australia, Rock Art Research 7(1): 44–50.Google Scholar
Watchman, A. 1990b. What are silica skins and how are they important in rock art conservation? Australian Aboriginal Studies 1: 21–9.Google Scholar
Watchman, A. 1990c. A review of studies into the composition of pigments used in Australian rock paintings, Périgord: Proceedings of the ICOM Conference, 50 ans aprés la découverte de Lascaux: 20–23.Google Scholar
Watchman, A. 1991. Age and composition of oxalate–rich crusts in the Northern Territory, Australia, Studies in Conservation: 36 (1): 24–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Watchman, A. 1992. Preliminary geological and radiocarbonanalyses of rock crusts in the Laura region. abstract, Rock art of north Queensland Symposium, Australian Rock Art Research Association, 2nd Congress, Cairns,September 1992.Google Scholar
In press a.Composition, formation and age of some Australian silica skins, Australian Aboriginal Studies.Google Scholar
In press a. Repainting or periodic painting at Australian Aboriginal rock art sites: evidence from rock surface crusts,in Ward, G. (ed.), Retouch: an option to conservation, First AURA Congress, Darwin, August 1988. WATCHMAN, A.&D. LESSARD. 1992. Dating rock art by FLECS–AMS. Abstract, Dating of Rock Art Symposium, Australian Rock Art Research Association, 2nd Congress, Cairns,August 1988.Google Scholar
Watchman, A. & Lessard, D. 1992. Dating rock art by FLECS–AMS. Abstract, Dating of Rock Art Symposium, Australian Rock Art Research Association, 2nd Congress, Cairns, September 1992.Google Scholar
Watchman, A. & Cole, N. In press. 1992. Radiocarbon dating of plant fibres in prehistoric rockpaintings, Laura, Australia, Antiquity 67.Google Scholar
Watchman, A. & Sikois, J. & Cole, N. In press. Mineralogical examination of Aboriginal rock–painting pigments near Laura north Queensland, in Bird, R. (ed.), Fourth Australasian Archaeometry Conference Proceedings, Canberra,January 1991.Google Scholar
Watchman, A., Sale, K. & Hogue, K. In preparation. Conservation of the Rendezvous Creek and Nursery Swamp 2 Aboriginal painting sites, Namadgi National Park, Australian Capital Territory. Google Scholar
Watson, E.L. 1967. What did they use for paint? The Artifact 5 (2): 1–11.Google Scholar
Watson, E.L. 1969. The ancients knew their paints, The Artifact 7 (2): 1–6.Google Scholar
Wiedemann, H.G. & Bayer, G. 1988. Formation of whewellite and weddelite by displacement reactions, American Laboratory 20: 54–61.Google Scholar
Weisbrod, R. 1978. Rock art dating methods, Journal of New World Archaeology 2 (4): 1–8.Google Scholar
Wright, B.J. 1972. Rock engravings of striped mammals; the Pilbara region, Western Australia, Archaeology and Physical Anthropology inOceania 7 14–23.Google Scholar
Zolknsky, M. 1982. Analysis of pigments from prehistoric pictographs, Seminole Canyon State Historical Park,in Turpin, S.A. (ed.), Seminole Canyon: The art and the archaeology. 7 279–84.Austin (TX): Texas Archaeological Survey.Research report 83.Google Scholar