South Australian researchers are using synchrotron techniques to investigate the origins of the ochres used in Aboriginal Australian artefacts – potentially revealing new information on ochre exchange routes and Aboriginal cultural relationships across Australia.

Left: archaeological chemist Rachel Popelka-Filcoff with some of her ochre samples. Photo: Ashton Claridge, Flinders University

 

“Ochre mines are an integral part of the traditions and Dreaming stories of Indigenous Australians, and ochre was part of the cultural exchanges that took place across the continent,” says Rachel Popelka-Filcoff.

Synchrotron XFM identifies which trace elements are present and where. Its high resolution is excellent for fine lines and dots in Aboriginal paintings, and enables researchers to examine separate micron-scale ‘spots’ and impurities that may be as small as 0.5 microns across.

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