Article
Archaeology
Giovanni Cavallo, Gloria Ischia, Roberto Zorzin, Stefano Gialanella
Summary: The intentional use of fire technology to transform yellow goethite into red hematite was a common practice in Prehistoric settlements. Mineralogical structural analyses using XRPD and TEM were employed to study the relevant transformation temperatures. Heat treatment experiments on natural goethite demonstrated selective broadening of diffraction peaks between 250 and 800 degrees Celsius, similar to synthetic goethite samples.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE-REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Vaibhav Charde, Vijay Kumar, Ganesh Dane, Yashika Gandhi, Hemant Soni, Chandrashekar Jagtap, Sujeet K. Mishra, Santosh K. Shakya, Arjun Singh, Ravindra Singh, Bhagwan S. Sharma, Shruti Khanduri, Narayanam Srikanth, Rabinarayan Acharya, Thomas J. Webster
Summary: Gairika, also known as red ochre, has a significant impact on human civilization. It is a rich source of nutrients that promote reproductive and brain health. This study provides a comprehensive report on the pharmaceutical validation and characterization of Laghu Sutashekhara Rasa (LSR), a red ochre-based antacid drug in Indian Ayurvedic medicine. The study demonstrates the reproducibility of LSR through a standardized procedure and characterizes its particles and phytoconstituents using advanced instrumentation. In vitro experiments confirm the antacid activity of LSR and suggest its potential as a prebiotic. The purification and levigation techniques mentioned in classical literature are also established. Overall, this study contributes to the development and reliable reproduction of LSR, highlighting the potential of environmental red ochre as a medicine.
FRONTIERS IN CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Archaeology
Jose Weverton Lima de Sousa, Luis Carlos Duarte Cavalcante
Summary: The red ochres consist of hematite, quartz, kaolinite, muscovite, illite, and anatase, while the yellowish ochres contain goethite, quartz, kaolinite, hematite, muscovite, and anatase. Iron content in the mineral pigments, as determined by EDXRF, ranges from approximately 46 to 63 mass% in the red ochres and 44 to 61 mass% in the yellowish ochres.
ARQUEOLOGIA IBEROAMERICANA
(2021)
Article
Geology
Guido Gonzato, Enrico Borghi, Roberto Chignola, Nereo Preto, Guido Rossi
Summary: This paper describes a group of paleokarst caves at Torricelle Hills near Verona, Italy, which were developed during a phase of marine regression between the late Paleogene and mid Miocene. These caves were originally filled with iron oxides-rich sediments and have been explored, providing valuable information on speleological features, stratigraphy, paleontology, and paleogeography. The caves are interpreted as conduits that drained a freshwater lens in a spatially limited carbonate peninsula.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPELEOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Archaeology
Zhenyu Lin, Julia M. Natoli, Jules C. Picuri, Sophia E. Shaw, Walter J. Bowyer
Summary: The intentional heating of natural goethite to convert it into hematite has been successfully replicated in both laboratory and fire settings, with similar colors produced in both. Heating solid lumps instead of powder helps avoid contamination in fire, and the resulting hematite colors are consistent within the temperature range of wood fires. This supports the rapid dissemination of technology observed by archaeologists, and highlights the significant differences between natural and synthetic goethite in terms of color conversion processes.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE-REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Jose Santiago Pozo-Antonio, Beatriz Comendador Rey, Lara Alves Bacelar, Pablo Barreiro
Summary: This paper discusses a collaborative interdisciplinary research on the prehistoric art site of Penedo Gordo in NW Spain, focusing on designing and implementing a multi-analytical protocol to characterize prehistoric rock paintings. The analysis of red rock paintings, stone-paint boundaries, and raw materials led to the discovery of a well-preserved drop of red pigment associated with Late Neolithic/Copper Age material remains.
Article
Anthropology
Ailin A. Guillermo, Claudia I. Montalvo, Fernando J. Fernandez
Summary: This study conducted a taphonomic and paleoenvironmental analysis of micromammal accumulations at the archaeological site Alvarez 4 in northwestern Patagonia, Argentina. It found skeletal remains likely caused by Strigiformes and pellets deposited by Accipitriformes. Additionally, some Caviidae remains were probably consumed by humans. The paleoenvironmental analysis revealed the development of shrubby-grassy Patagonian steppes and rocky outcrops over the past 1000 years, with environments more heterogeneous compared to today.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Archaeology
Joseph Mitchell, Mitchell R. Childress, Thomas W. French
Summary: This study presents data from the Pruitt Shelter sites in the Buffalo National River, Arkansas, which represent the most detailed and robust mollusc assemblage from the Ozark Highlands. The analysis of these zooarchaeological assemblages provides an ecological baseline and valuable information for modern conservation efforts in the region, including biogeographical, paleoenvironmental, and population characteristics.
ENVIRONMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
E. E. Spinapolice, A. Zerboni, M. C. Meyer, S. Talamo, G. S. Mariani, L. A. Gliganic, L. Buti, M. Fusco, M. P. Maiorano, S. Silvestrini, R. Sorrentino, A. Vazzana, M. Romandini, A. Fiorini, A. Curci, S. Benazzi
Summary: This study investigates the new chronology and stratigraphy of Uluzzo C, a key site for the Uluzzian technocomplex in southern Italy, refining the cultural sequence known from previous excavations and providing dates for the onset of Uluzzian in the area and the disappearance of Neanderthals in that part of Italy. Results suggest that most of the sediment at the site formed after dismantling of the rock shelter's vault, with contributions from wind-blown loess and occasional hydrological reactivations. The OSL ages obtained align with previously published radiocarbon ages, confirming the timing of the Uluzzian and the end of the Mousterian in the region.
JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Davide Visentin, Federica Fontana
QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL
(2016)
Editorial Material
Geography, Physical
Federica Fontana, Davide Visentin, Ursula Wierer
QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL
(2016)
Article
Geography, Physical
Federica Fontana, Davide Visentin
QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL
(2016)
Article
Geography, Physical
Davide Visentin, Francesco Carrer, Federica Fontana, Fabio Cavulli, Piergiorgio Cesco Frare, Carlo Mondini, Annaluisa Pedrotti
QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL
(2016)
Article
Geography, Physical
Julie Arnaud, Carlo Peretto, Daniele Panetta, Maria Tripodi, Federica Fontana, Marta Arzarello, Ursula Thun Hohenstein, Claudio Berto, Benedetto Sala, Gregorio Oxilia, Piero A. Salvadori, Stefano Benazzi
QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL
(2016)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Julien Soubrier, Graham Gower, Kefei Chen, Stephen M. Richards, Bastien Llamas, Kieren J. Mitchell, Simon Y. W. Ho, Pavel Kosintsev, Michael S. Y. Lee, Gennady Baryshnikov, Ruth Bollongino, Pere Bover, Joachim Burger, David Chivall, Evelyne Cregut-Bonnoure, Jared E. Decker, Vladimir B. Doronichev, Katerina Douka, Damien A. Fordham, Federica Fontana, Carole Fritz, Jan Glimmerveen, Liubov V. Golovanova, Colin Groves, Antonio Guerreschi, Wolfgang Haak, Tom Higham, Emilia Hofman-Kaminska, Alexander Immel, Marie-Anne Julien, Johannes Krause, Oleksandra Krotova, Frauke Langbein, Greger Larson, Adam Rohrlach, Amelie Scheu, Robert D. Schnabel, Jeremy F. Taylor, Malgorzata Tokarska, Gilles Tosello, Johannes van der Plicht, Ayla van Loenen, Jean-Denis Vigne, Oliver Wooley, Ludovic Orlando, Rafal Kowalczyk, Beth Shapiro, Alan Cooper
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2016)
Article
Archaeology
Giovanni Cavallo, Federica Fontana, Federica Gonzato, Marco Peresani, Maria Pia Riccardi, Roberto Zorzin
GEOARCHAEOLOGY-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL
(2017)
Article
Archaeology
G. Cavallo, F. Fontana, S. Gialanella, F. Gonzato, M. P. Riccardi, R. Zorzin, M. Peresani
Article
Geography, Physical
Claudio Berto, Elisa Luzi, Guido Montanari Canini, Antonio Guerreschi, Federica Fontana
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2018)
Article
Anthropology
Nicolo Fasser, Federica Fontana, Davide Visentin
ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2019)
Article
Anthropology
Marie-Helene Moncel, Nick Ashton, Marta Arzarello, Federica Fontana, Agnes Lamotte, Beccy Scott, Brunella Muttillo, Gabriele Berruti, Gabriele Nenzioni, Alain Tuffreau, Carlo Peretto
JOURNAL OF HUMAN EVOLUTION
(2020)
Article
Geography, Physical
Gabriele L. F. Berruti, Elisa Bianchi, Sara Daffara, Monica Gomes, Allison J. Ceresa Genet, Federica Fontana, Marta Arzarello, Carlo Peretto
QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL
(2020)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Federica Fontana, Emanuela Cristiani, Stefano Bertola, Francois Briois, Antonio Guerreschi, Sara Ziggiotti
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Eugenio Bortolini, Luca Pagani, Gregorio Oxilia, Cosimo Posth, Federica Fontana, Federica Badino, Tina Saupe, Francesco Montinaro, Davide Margaritora, Matteo Romandini, Federico Lugli, Andrea Papini, Marco Boggioni, Nicola Perrini, Antonio Oxilia, Riccardo Aiese Cigliano, Rosa Barcelona, Davide Visentin, Nicolo Fasser, Simona Arrighi, Carla Figus, Giulia Marciani, Sara Silvestrini, Federico Bernardini, Jessica C. Menghi Sartorio, Luca Fiorenza, Jacopo Moggi Cecchi, Claudio Tuniz, Toomas Kivisild, Fernando Gianfrancesco, Marco Peresani, Christiana L. Scheib, Sahra Talamo, Maurizio D'Esposito, Stefano Benazzi
Summary: Significant cultural and population changes occurred in Southern Europe around 18-17 thousand years ago, as hunter-gatherers gradually recolonized the Alps due to retreat of glaciers. The Late Epigravettian phase saw a replacement of genetic lineages, believed to be influenced by migrations during a warmer climate period about 14.7 thousand years ago. New genetic evidence suggests a population replacement event in Southern Europe, coinciding with major cultural transitions, dated back by at least 3 thousand years compared to previous beliefs.