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Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis Of Ochre Artifacts From Jiskairumoko, Peru, Rachel S. Popelka-Filcoff, Nathan M. Craig, Michael D. Glascock, David Robertson, Mark Aldenderfer, Robert J. Speakman

Dr David Robertson

Ochre is very common in the Terminal Archaic-Early Formative archaeological site of Jiskairumoko, (Rio Ilave, Lake Titicaca Basin, southern Peru). Within the site, ochre was found on tools, palettes, and in burials and soil deposits within structures in several contexts, suggesting both symbolic and functional uses of ochre. Variations in the color and contexts imply possibilities for different uses of ochre.. Instrumental neutron activation analysis was used to analyze the ochre samples found in Jiskairumoko. Multivariate analysis of the elemental data by principal components analysis suggests trends in the data related to the compositional variation of ochres on the site. …