Raman microscopy of hand stencils rock art from the Yabrai Mountain, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China

A series of rock art pictographs in the form of hand stencils discovered in two sites of the Yabrai Mountain, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (China) has been studied by micro-Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electronic microscopy combined with energy dispersive X-r...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied physics. A, Materials science & processing Materials science & processing, 2016-07, Vol.122 (7), p.1-8, Article 699
Main Authors: Hernanz, Antonio, Chang, Jinlong, Iriarte, Mercedes, Gavira-Vallejo, Jose M., de Balbín-Behrmann, Rodrigo, Bueno-Ramírez, Primitiva, Maroto-Valiente, Angel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bones
Characterization and Evaluation of Materials
Condensed Matter Physics
Electronics
Graphite
Innovation in Art Research and Technology
Machines
Manufacturing
Microscopy
Mountains
Nanotechnology
Optical and Electronic Materials
Physics
Physics and Astronomy
Pigments
Processes
Rock
Surfaces and Interfaces
Thin Films
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:A series of rock art pictographs in the form of hand stencils discovered in two sites of the Yabrai Mountain, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (China) has been studied by micro-Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electronic microscopy combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy for the first time. These studies have made possible to characterise the materials present. The minerals α-quartz, phlogopite, albite and microcline have been identified in the granitic rocks supporting the paintings. Calcite and dolomite micro-particles detected on the rock surface have been attributed to desert dust. Accretions of gypsum, anhydrite and whewellite have also been identified on the rock surface. Haematite is the pigment used in the red pictographs, whereas well-crystallised graphite has been used in the black ones. The use of crystalline graphite instead of amorphous carbon (charcoal, soot or bone black) as a black pigment in rock art is an interesting novelty. Overlapped hands are proposed as a new type of hand stencils to make an unusual pictorial symbol in rock art that has been found in these sites.
ISSN:0947-8396
1432-0630
DOI:10.1007/s00339-016-0228-z