Geochemical and mineralogical characterization on an ochre residue adhering to a pebble found in the Oriente A Epigravettian burial, in the Grotta d’Oriente of Favignana (Egadi, Italy)

Abstract

The Grotta d’Oriente, on the island of Favignana (Egadi, Sicily) has yielded a series of burials and human remains attributable to the final Epigravettian and Mesolithic. The Epigravettian burial, known as Oriente A, is characterised by funerary equipment consisting of perforated shells and a pebble with traces of red ochre. This site is one of the rare cases in which there is evidence of the use of ochre in a funerary context in Sicily and therefore the archaeological reconstruction requires the chemical-mineralogical characterization of this pigment using SEM, EDS, XRD, FORS and Raman spectroscopy. The comparative analysis of this pigment with a series of Terra Rossa from Favignana and other areas of Sicily has demonstrated that the Oriental A ochre does not derive from these sediments. This study shows the importance of applying different analysis methods for the characterization of ochres to try to define their origin.