Red pigments and Boraginaceae leaves in mortuary ritual of late Neolithic China: A case study of Shengedaliang site.

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  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Wiley-Liss Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 9203012 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1097-0029 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 1059910X NLM ISO Abbreviation: Microsc Res Tech Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Original Publication: New York, NY : Wiley-Liss, c1992-
    • Subject Terms:
      Ceremonial Behavior*; Boraginaceae/*anatomy & histology ; Burial/*history ; Pigments, Biological/*history ; Plant Leaves/*chemistry; Boraginaceae/chemistry ; China ; Fossils/history ; History, Ancient ; Humans ; Mercury Compounds/chemistry ; Mercury Compounds/history ; Radiometric Dating ; Spectrum Analysis, Raman/methods
    • Abstract:
      Investigation of mortuary ritual is an important method to reconstruct many aspects of past societies. Due to the lack of relevant analytical work, little evidence related to organic materials in a burial can be found in China. Here we report materials collected from a burial during the excavation of the Shengedaliang site. The recovered materials were analyzed using Raman spectroscopy and plant analysis: flotation, pollen and phytolith analysis. The red pigments found scattered over the human remains were identified as cinnabar. Extracted phytoliths associated with the burial are mainly leaves from the Boraginaceae family. This is the first time that a covering of leaves have been identified with a burial in Neolithic China. The presence of "special" leaves fossil may indicate a type of "plant worship" and the identification of an important plant used in traditional Chinese medicine. The finding of the two materials allows us to better identify indicators of funerary ritual and its relationship to social inequality.
      (© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)
    • Contributed Indexing:
      Keywords: leaves; mortuary ritual; pigments
    • Accession Number:
      0 (Mercury Compounds)
      0 (Pigments, Biological)
      ZI0T668SF1 (cinnabar)
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20161012 Date Completed: 20190110 Latest Revision: 20190110
    • Publication Date:
      20221213
    • Accession Number:
      10.1002/jemt.22791
    • Accession Number:
      27726230