Rouge bearing concretions

[meetmaker]

Life was hard and short for our prehistoric peoples.Yet their lives were enriched by Art and color. Pigments were obtained from Natures many sources of animal, vegetable and mineral. In my area of middle eastern Ohio rouge bearing concretions were harvested for their colorful mineral interiors and remnants of this activity can still be found.
Rouge is a mineral, typically a Ferrous Sulphate calcined, or reduced to powder by heat. Grinding and crushing can also produce a pigment. Rouge is usually associated with Red but a range of warm earth colors of Red, Orange and Yellow are common. Almost any color can be found. Though able to be suspended in a media of water it is far more likely that a grease paint of sorts was made using animal fats and oils.
In my wanderings I have run across several areas were a disproportionate amount of shards of these concretions are present, but no mineral interiors. It seems that a native(s) would gather a number of these stones and process them, leaving the shards. These shards fall within the definition of artifacts.
As a result of conserving labor and materials, multipurpose artifacts are common. Some of these shards would fill other uses and so can be found away from the process site, in conjunction with other artifacts.
The following photos are of artifacts associated with pigment producing activity.
The first photo is an assortment of multi-purposed artifacts related to pigment activity. Counter clockwise from top center is a mask or plaque, a "paint pot", scraper with mineralized proteins, iron sulfide concretion with a window for inspection, shard knife, flayer, two pieces with prehistoric pigments applied, an incised shard of shattered shell, and an iron sulfide concretion with the interior exposed.
The second photo shows two concretions with the interiors exposed. I have found several with a light beige interior that look to be discarded. It may be that the color did not provide enough contrast as a paint or cosmetic and as such was less desirable. The larger discarded concretion is a dark maroon color. It may be that soot or other carbons was a better source for black pigments. The "paint pot" was most likely an accident while processing stone and was then curated as a small container.
The next three are of two small stones with prehistoric pigments applied to one side. Found fifty miles apart, both on top a hillock near watersheds. The provenance of the sites is such that it far unlikely that someone(s) would find their way to such remote areas just to paint one side of one small stone(s). The last photo is an attempt to show how the pigment more or less ran over the side why being applied. The effect is very much like the stones were held in hand while being painted. I have researched laboratory testing of these pieces. Besides the question of the expense, there is the nature of the test itself. What to look for? Most of all, without a clear collection and sampling procedure any results would be questionable.
Though artifacts of this nature are the least glamorous, they serve to illustrate a facet of life not commonly examined.

[DesertWalker]

Very interesting. Never knew that about the rouge before.

[barbarosa]

Interesting read....thanks for posting meetmaker!

[ghost recon]

Nice...enjoyed your well written post. I've come across a few of these pigment stones that leave red and orange streaks like a chalk stick.

[drdave514]

I've noticed some odd colored "soft" stones in camps, along with river pebbles but I'll save that for another post, but never thought about it. Interesting post.

[meetmaker]

Thank you everyone for your replies and interest. I am grateful to be fortunate to walk the fields as I do, so please don't mistake the next for a complaint. I am not alone in that the fields I search have been picked over for flint for about two hundred years. Recognizing marginal artifacts and their place in a culture provides the joy of discovery and opens that window into the past a little wider. Don't we all have a great hobby?

[eddies]

nice post meetmaker. very interesting. from cleveland

[burger]

That was well worth the read, thank you. Iron oxide is a very popular pigment here in southern California. It can be seen in our rock art and our pottery.

[uniface]

Super account ! That would be a good one for the home page, IMO.

[blueovalfever]

i agree,that is a great read. put in some more pics and examples...and explain more to others what to look for in identifying the same pieces in their hunts...and you would have a great article. you have me wondering about some of the stuf i have as well as some i have left behind. thanks for the post./eric