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Iron-containing pigment from an archaeological rupestrian painting of the Planalto Tradition in Minas Gerais, Brazil

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Abstract

Archaeological rupestrian arts of the Planalto Tradition are of relatively widespread occurrence all over the land area of the state of Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil. They are typically composed by monochromic zoomorphic figures, especially of cervids, mainly in red or orange color. A fragment of a rock wall containing an archaeological painting was collected at the Itanguá site, in the municipality of Senador Modestino Gonçalves (geographical coordinates, 17° 56′ 51″ S 43° 13′ 22″ W), MG. The rock piece was covered with an archaeological painting with pigments of two different hues of red. The X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis revealed only a slight difference in Fe and P content for the two different color zones. The pigment materials on this small fragment of rock were analyzed by X-ray diffraction on the conventional incidence mode (XRD) and on grazing incidence X-ray mode (GIXRD), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive x-ray detector (SEM/EDS) and conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy (CEMS) at room temperature. Results indicated the occurrence of mainly hematite but also of diopside in the pigment. CEMS at RT reveal the presence of hematite and (super)paramagnetic ferric components. In order to confirm these results a small amount of powder from the painting pigments was also analyzed by transmission Mössbauer spectroscopy at 20 K.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Federal Minas Gerais campus Santa Luzia, 33115-390, Santa Luzia, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    D. L. Floresta

  2. Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Campus JK, 39100-000, Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    M. Fagundes & J. D. Fabris

  3. Departamento de Química - ICEx, UFMG, Campus Pampulha, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil

    J. D. Fabris

  4. Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    D. L. Floresta & J. D. Ardisson

Authors
  1. D. L. Floresta
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  2. M. Fagundes
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  3. J. D. Fabris
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  4. J. D. Ardisson
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Correspondence to D. L. Floresta.

Additional information

Proceedings of the 14th Latin American Conference on the Applications of the Mössbauer Effect (LACAME 2014), Toluca, Mexico, 10–14 November 2014

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Floresta, D.L., Fagundes, M., Fabris, J.D. et al. Iron-containing pigment from an archaeological rupestrian painting of the Planalto Tradition in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Hyperfine Interact 232, 29–40 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10751-015-1182-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10751-015-1182-4

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