PhD candidate Hannah Keller publishes paper investigating how site formation processes erase ochre residues

PhD candidate Hannah Keller, along with faculty co-authors Jessica Thompson and Ellery Frahm, published a paper in the Journal of Archaeological Sciences: Reports examining how site formation processes erase ochre residues on ostrich eggshells. Ostrich eggshell artifacts, including beads and fragments, are frequently recovered in archaeological deposits across Africa and Asia, including at the sites of Hora-1 and Mazinga-1 in Malawi, where Thompson and Keller conduct research. The paper describes an experimental study which tests how washing, burial and burning of eggshell fragments affect ochre applied to the surfaces of the eggshells. They found that different processes affected the ochre on different surfaces: washing and burial removed residues on the exterior surface, while burning at higher temperatures (>350 C) removed the inner surface of the eggshell, and along with it, any residues. Their results suggest that the residues found on archaeological eggshell from Malawi were either intentionally applied (as paint or when the eggs were used as a container), or picked up from scattered ochre shortly after being deposited at the sites. 

The paper is part of the special issue: “Worldwide Archaeological Science and Ochre: New Results and Challenges.”