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Updated: Sep 2, 2025
12:04
Exfoliation of Egyptian Blue and Han Blue, Two Alkali Earth Copper Silicate-based Pigments
Published on: April 24, 2014
16.1K
The first uses of colour: what do we know?
1Departament de Prehistòria, Arqueologia i Història Antiga, Grupo de Investigación Prehistoria del Mediterráneo Occidental (PREMEDOC), Universitat de València, Avenida Blasco Ibáñez, 28, 46010 Valencia, Spain; Universitê Côte d'Azur, CNRS, CEPAM, 24 avenue des Diables Bleus, 06300 Nice, France, daniela.rosso@uv.es.
Summary
Early humans used ochre, a colored mineral, over 300,000 years ago. Understanding its use evolution is key to tracing human cognitive and cultural development.
Area of Science:
- Archaeology
- Paleoanthropology
- Cognitive Evolution
Background:
- Color perception is fundamental to human cognition, language, and information transmission.
- Ochre use, a marker of cognitive complexity, shows discontinuous patterns in the archaeological record.
- Understanding ochre's evolutionary trajectory offers insights into human lineage development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize current knowledge on ochre use during the Lower and Middle Paleolithic/Stone Ages.
- To review analytical techniques for studying ochre.
- To identify challenges in interpreting ochre's anthropogenic significance.
Main Methods:
- Review of archaeological evidence for ochre use.
- Analysis of ochre-rich materials and stained sediments.
- Examination of modified ochre artifacts.
Main Results:
- Earliest secure ochre use evidence dates to 300,000 years ago in Africa and Europe.
- Ochre use became recurrent around 160,000 years ago.
- Much early ochre evidence lacks systematic documentation and clear anthropogenic attribution.
Conclusions:
- Ochre use provides a crucial, albeit complex, window into early human cognitive abilities.
- Further systematic research and advanced analytical methods are needed to fully understand ochre's role in cultural evolution.
- Addressing analytical and theoretical issues is vital for accurate interpretation of ochre findings.
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