Munibe Antropologia-Arkeologia (Dec 2021)
El uso de materias colorantes en el Paleolítico superior de la cueva de Lumentxa (Lekeitio, Bizkaia, Norte de la Península Ibérica)
Abstract
El ocre es un material colorante utilizado desde épocas antiguas por los cazadores-recolectores de todo el planeta. Estudiamos 34 objetos recuperados en los niveles magdalenienses de la cueva de Lumentxa durante las intervenciones de los años veinte del siglo pasado. En 14 ejemplares hemos reconocido huellas de modificación antropogénica. Las características de las huellas indican que éstas se produjeron por un desgaste ocasionado por tres acciones diferentes: la molienda sobre superficies abrasivas, el rayado con instrumentos afilados y el frotado de materias blandas. Molienda y rayado son procedimientos para la obtención de polvo de ocre destinado a actividades domésticas o simbólicas. Las marcas de frotado evidencian, entre otros usos, la aplicación directa del colorante con finalidades funcionales u ornamentales. ABSTRACT: Ochre is a colouring material used since ancient times by hunter-gatherers all over the planet. We studied the collection of 34 artefacts retrieved from the Magdalenian levels of the Lumentxa cave during the interventions carried out in the 1920’s. Slightly more than 50% are siderite - lutite nodules or fragments of such nodules, which may have been collected from Cretaceous outcrops near the settlement. The rest are soft, reddish materials with an earthy-clayey mould. By means of macroscopic and microscopic observation, we have identified traces of anthropogenic modification on 14 specimens. The characteristics of the traces indicate that they were produced by surface wear and tear caused by three different actions: grinding on abrasive surfaces, scratching with sharp instruments, and the rubbing of soft materials. The most common traces are those caused by rubbing. They have been identified as the only trace in nine specimens and in another two cases they have been found in association with other traces. Grinding was the activity that generated the modelling of the two pieces defined as crayon. The incisions and grooves that can be seen on three slab pieces were caused by scratching. Grinding and scratching are processes used to obtain fine ochre powder for different domestic or symbolic activities. The traces of rubbing bear witness to the direct application of the dye. We may associate the use of dyes in the Lumentxa cave with a wide range of domestic and symbolic activities. It is clearly linked to graphic expression. This can be seen in the choice of a slab that had served as a natural block on which to obtain ochre powder as a support material for the representation of engraved horse figures or in the use of red pigments for the pictorial representations on the walls of the cavity. In the light of similar replicative experiences, we can assume that it was used in leather work, in the composition of adhesive mixtures for attaching lithic artefacts to hafts, in body painting or on other surfaces.
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