Office of the Wyoming State Archaeologist, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071.
Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TG, United Kingdom.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 May 17;119(20):e2201005119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2201005119. Epub 2022 May 12.
SignificanceRed ocher (also known as hematite) is relatively common in Paleoindian sites exceeding ca. 11,000 calibrated years B.P. in the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains of North America. Red ocher fulfilled a wide range of functions within Paleoindian societies, as indicated by its association with graves, caches, campsites, hide-working implements, and kill sites. To date, the Powars II site is the only red ocher quarry identified in the North American archaeological record north of Mesoamerica. Prior studies of Powars II were based on analyses of artifacts recovered from a redeposited context. This study presents in situ evidence for red ocher quarrying at Powars II.
意义红色赭石（也称为赤铁矿）在北美洲大平原和落基山脉中，超过约 11000 年校准年前的古印第安遗址中相对常见。红色赭石在古印第安社会中具有广泛的功能，这一点可以从它与坟墓、藏物处、营地、兽皮加工工具和杀戮地点的关联中得到证明。迄今为止，Powars II 遗址是中美洲以北北美考古记录中唯一确定的红色赭石采石场。之前对 Powars II 的研究是基于对从重新沉积的背景中回收的人工制品的分析。本研究提供了 Powars II 红色赭石采石场的原地证据。
