Pages: 125-135

Kapova cave is located in the Southern Urals, Russia. The cave is a system of halls, galleries and corridors, located at three hypsometric levels, the lower of which is occupied by the river Podzemny Shulgan. The cultural layer has been radiocarbon-dated from 13930±300 (GIN-4853) to 16010±100 (KN-5023). The aim of this paper is to present the results of spectroscopic and uXRF analyses of the paint remains of cherry color, which were found in 2014 by the expedition from Moscow State University between two stones in the Chamber of Chaos. Application of a wide range of microanalytical methods, as well as multispectral and reflection transformation imaging and colour analysis was useful for the determination of the paint recipe. Morphological analysis of the haematite particles using polarized light microscopy helps us find a relationship between paint remains and some paintings in the Chamber of Chaos.

Keywords: Kapova Cave, Southern Urals, Late Palaeolithic, raman spectroscopy, uXRF, haematite, paint recipe.

Information about authors:

Alexander Pakhunov (Moscow, Russian Federation). Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dmitry Ulyanov St., 19, Moscow, 117036, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]

Vladislav Zhitenev (Moscow, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Moscow State University. Lomonosov Pr., 27-4, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]