Raman Spectroscopy Analysis of Pigments from the Boyary I Rock Art Site, Khakassia
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6037947 |
|---|---|
| Authors | R V Davydov (0000-0001-6580-2811), Yu S Gubar (0000-0002-1799-8327), Lydia Zotkina (0000-0002-1912-3882) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 53 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 54-62 |
| Publication date | 2025-07-04 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Archaeology Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1563-0110 • E-ISSN: 1531-832X |
| Publisher | Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.17746/1563-0110.2025.53.2.054-062 |
| OpenAlex | W4412094441 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 16 |
This article describes previously unknown paintings at the Boyary I rock art site, Republic of Khakassia. They are especially important because they were situated in the part of the panel where a missing ledge could have been located. The petroglyphs could indicate the time of its disappearance. Based on stylistic features, it is possible that they date to the Karasuk period (late 2nd to early 1st millennium BC). The article presents the results of Raman spectroscopy analysis of pigments detected in the paintings. The method involved their context assessment with regard to the rock surface and the white paint of recent inscriptions, the composition of ancient pigments, and searching for organic binder residue. The study covered panel 7 and the adjacent panels 8 and 9. The results are based on 103 spectra of various compositions. All three surfaces mainly consist of sandstone, the predominant constituents being albite, quartzite, and anatase, with occasional natural ferruginization. Modern white paint of two types—chalk (panel 7) and styrene acrylic (panel 9)—were detected. The red pigment used for the paintings in the right part of panel 7 consists of hematite. Calcium oxalate (whewellite) was found only where residues of pigments were located, suggesting that it resulted from the decomposition of the organic binder of the ancient paint
Archaeology · Art · Geography · Optics · Physics · Pigment · Raman spectroscopy · Visual arts · Building materials and conservation · Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis · Mineralogy and Gemology Studies · Geology
Raman identification of natural red to yellow pigments
Calcium oxalate AMS 14C dating and chronology of post-Palaeolithic rock paintings in the Iberian Peninsula. Two dates from Abrigo de los Oculados (Henarejos, Cuenca, Spain)
A multi-technique characterization and provenance study of the pigments used in San rock art, South Africa
Possibilities of Direct Dating of Rock Art in the Khakass-Minusinsk Basin
| Highly cited | No |
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