Ochre for the Iberians. A review on characterisation and interpretation through spectroscopic techniques

Abstract

The Iberians were one of the most important peoples of the Iberian Peninsula and the Western Mediterranean during the Iron Age. Their complex political, social and economic organisation was accompanied by the development of a material culture and an aesthetic in which colour, especially red, and a pigment, ochre, played an outstanding role. In this paper, from an archaeometric perspective, we review and update our knowledge of the use and significance to the Iberians of ochre pigment: its composition, the materials to which it was applied and the analytical study methodology using spectroscopic techniques.