Combined Non-invasive PIXE/PIGE Analyses of Mammoth Ivory from Aurignacian Archaeological Sites

Ina Reiche; Claire Heckel; Katharina Müller; Olaf Jöris; Tim Matthies; Nicholas J. Conard; Harald Floss; Randall White

doi:10.1002/anie.201712911

Combined Non-invasive PIXE/PIGE Analyses of Mammoth Ivory from Aurignacian Archaeological Sites

Ina Reiche, Claire Heckel, Katharina Müller, Olaf Jöris, Tim Matthies, Nicholas J. Conard, Harald Floss, Randall White

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Among the earliest Homo sapiens societies in Eurasia, the Aurignacian phase of the Early Upper Paleolithic, approximately 40 000–30 000 years ago, mammoth ivory assumed great social and economic significance, and was used to create hundreds of personal ornaments as well as the earliest known works of three-dimensional figurative art in the world. This paper reports on the results of micro-PIXE/PIGE analyses of mammoth-ivory artifacts and debris from five major sites of Aurignacian ivory use. Patterns of variable fluorine content indicate regionally distinctive strategies of ivory procurement that correspond to apparent differences in human–mammoth interactions. Preserved trace elements (Br, Sr, Zn) indicate that differences at the regional level are applicable to sourcing Paleolithic ivory at the regional scale.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	7428-7432
Number of pages	5
Journal	Angewandte Chemie - International Edition
Volume	57
Issue number	25
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201712911
State	Published - Jun 18 2018

Keywords

Palaeolithic mammoth ivory
micro-PIXE/PIGE
site-specific markers
subfossil ivory
trace elements

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Catalysis
General Chemistry

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10.1002/anie.201712911

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title = "Combined Non-invasive PIXE/PIGE Analyses of Mammoth Ivory from Aurignacian Archaeological Sites",

abstract = "Among the earliest Homo sapiens societies in Eurasia, the Aurignacian phase of the Early Upper Paleolithic, approximately 40 000–30 000 years ago, mammoth ivory assumed great social and economic significance, and was used to create hundreds of personal ornaments as well as the earliest known works of three-dimensional figurative art in the world. This paper reports on the results of micro-PIXE/PIGE analyses of mammoth-ivory artifacts and debris from five major sites of Aurignacian ivory use. Patterns of variable fluorine content indicate regionally distinctive strategies of ivory procurement that correspond to apparent differences in human–mammoth interactions. Preserved trace elements (Br, Sr, Zn) indicate that differences at the regional level are applicable to sourcing Paleolithic ivory at the regional scale.",

keywords = "Palaeolithic mammoth ivory, micro-PIXE/PIGE, site-specific markers, subfossil ivory, trace elements",

author = "Ina Reiche and Claire Heckel and Katharina M{\"u}ller and Olaf J{\"o}ris and Tim Matthies and Conard, {Nicholas J.} and Harald Floss and Randall White",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim",

year = "2018",

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doi = "10.1002/anie.201712911",

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AU - Reiche, Ina

AU - Heckel, Claire

AU - Müller, Katharina

AU - Jöris, Olaf

AU - Matthies, Tim

AU - Conard, Nicholas J.

AU - Floss, Harald

AU - White, Randall

PY - 2018/6/18

Y1 - 2018/6/18

N2 - Among the earliest Homo sapiens societies in Eurasia, the Aurignacian phase of the Early Upper Paleolithic, approximately 40 000–30 000 years ago, mammoth ivory assumed great social and economic significance, and was used to create hundreds of personal ornaments as well as the earliest known works of three-dimensional figurative art in the world. This paper reports on the results of micro-PIXE/PIGE analyses of mammoth-ivory artifacts and debris from five major sites of Aurignacian ivory use. Patterns of variable fluorine content indicate regionally distinctive strategies of ivory procurement that correspond to apparent differences in human–mammoth interactions. Preserved trace elements (Br, Sr, Zn) indicate that differences at the regional level are applicable to sourcing Paleolithic ivory at the regional scale.

AB - Among the earliest Homo sapiens societies in Eurasia, the Aurignacian phase of the Early Upper Paleolithic, approximately 40 000–30 000 years ago, mammoth ivory assumed great social and economic significance, and was used to create hundreds of personal ornaments as well as the earliest known works of three-dimensional figurative art in the world. This paper reports on the results of micro-PIXE/PIGE analyses of mammoth-ivory artifacts and debris from five major sites of Aurignacian ivory use. Patterns of variable fluorine content indicate regionally distinctive strategies of ivory procurement that correspond to apparent differences in human–mammoth interactions. Preserved trace elements (Br, Sr, Zn) indicate that differences at the regional level are applicable to sourcing Paleolithic ivory at the regional scale.

KW - Palaeolithic mammoth ivory

KW - micro-PIXE/PIGE

KW - site-specific markers

KW - subfossil ivory

KW - trace elements

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Combined Non-invasive PIXE/PIGE Analyses of Mammoth Ivory from Aurignacian Archaeological Sites

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Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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