Caractérisation physico-chimique et recherche des provenances des hématites oolithiques des sites du Néolithique ancien de Hesbaye (Province de Liège, Belgique) et des sites néolithiques des sources de la Dendre (Province du Hainaut, Belgique)
- Chemical and physical characterization and provenance study of oolitic hematites found both in early Neolithic sites of Hesbaye (Province of Liège, Belgium) and Neolithic sites from the Dendre River springs (Hainaut province, Belgium)
p. 153-191
Abstract
Oolitic ironstones (OIS) are red raw materials producing a strong red pigment that are frequently encountered on LBK (Linearbandkeramic culture or Linienbandkeramische Kultur) sites from the Hesbaye (Liège province, Belgium), the Maastricht region (Limburg province, The Netherlands) and the Dendre springs area (Hainaut province, Belgium). Macroscopical, mesoscopical and microscopical investigations show a genetic relationship between all of the studied samples. The latter consist mainly of Clinton-type OIS with fine-grained hematitic ooids and a red clayey-sandy matrix, rarely enclosing carbonates within the cement or in the fossils. The observed variation inside the geological outcrops results from differences in the proportions of the detrital matrix and the carbonate content in comparison with the richness in hematitic ooids. The geochemical analyses carried out with HH-XRF and PIXE, also show strong analogies between all of the studied archaeological objects discovered in both of the studied areas. The diffractometric analysis resulted in poor information except for the mineralogical composition of the major phases. We do not observe differences between the pioneer sites and the older occupation sites. Furthermore, no significant differences were observed between the OIS from one village to another. A comparison of geological samples from Belgium and Germany allowed to link archaeological samples to Lower Famennian OIS of the southern border of the Namur Synclinorium. The latter spots are most probably located between the towns of Loyable and Amay, along the Meuse river valley. We may therefore conclude that the early Neolithic people looked at the same spots (in a geographic area of about three kilometers along the Meuse river axis). Moreover, they have selected their primary raw materials using the richness in iron ooids and the scarcity in quartz and calcite as main selection criteria. This study is still in progress, now taking into account other types of (non-oolitic) red rocks from LBK sites in the Hesbaye area, The Netherlands and Lorraine, in order to trace the geographical and geological provenances of the raw materials. So far, we can already suggest that the sources are local to regional for the red sandstones and of German origin for the non-oolitic hematitic ores.
Index
Mots-clés
OIS, hématite oolithique Clinton type, description macroscopique, diffraction des rayons X, PIXE, fluorescence X, Rubané, LBK, Néolithique ancien, Hesbaye, sources de la Dendre, BelgiqueText
References
Bibliographical reference
Éric Goemaere, Hélène Salomon, Guirec Querré, François Mathis, Roland Dreesen, Caroline Hamon, Claude Constantin, Dominique Bosquet, Joost Wijnen and Ivan Jadin, « Caractérisation physico-chimique et recherche des provenances des hématites oolithiques des sites du Néolithique ancien de Hesbaye (Province de Liège, Belgique) et des sites néolithiques des sources de la Dendre (Province du Hainaut, Belgique) », ERAUL, 143 | 2016, 153-191.
Electronic reference
Éric Goemaere, Hélène Salomon, Guirec Querré, François Mathis, Roland Dreesen, Caroline Hamon, Claude Constantin, Dominique Bosquet, Joost Wijnen and Ivan Jadin, « Caractérisation physico-chimique et recherche des provenances des hématites oolithiques des sites du Néolithique ancien de Hesbaye (Province de Liège, Belgique) et des sites néolithiques des sources de la Dendre (Province du Hainaut, Belgique) », ERAUL [Online], 143 | 2016, Online since 29 November 2024, connection on 10 January 2025. URL : http://popups.lib.uliege.be/3041-5527/index.php?id=689
Authors
Éric Goemaere
Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, DO Terre et Histoire de la Vie, Service géologique de Belgique, 13, rue Jenner, 1000 Bruxelles (Belgique)
Hélène Salomon
Service de Préhistoire, F.R.S.-FNRS, Université de Liège, 7, place du XX août, 4000 Liège (Belgique)
Guirec Querré
Université de Rennes 1, Laboratoire Archéosciences Rennes, CReAAH - UMR6566 CNRS, 263, avenue du Général Leclerc, Campus de Beaulieu - CS 74205, 35042 Rennes Cedex (France)
François Mathis
Université de Liège, Centre Européen d’Archéométrie, 10, Allée du 6 Août, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège (Belgique)
Roland Dreesen
Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, DO Terre et Histoire de la Vie, Service géologique de Belgique, 13, rue Jenner, 1000 Bruxelles (Belgique)
Caroline Hamon
Chargée de recherche CNRS, UMR 8215 Trajectoires, Maison de l’archéologie et de l’ethnologie, 21, allée de l’Université, 92023 Nanterre cedex (France)
Claude Constantin
16, Clos de Verrières, 91370 Verrieres-le-Buisson (France)
Dominique Bosquet
SPW, DG Service de l’archéologie, Direction extérieure du Brabant wallon, 88, rue de Nivelles, 1300 Wavre (Belgique)
Joost Wijnen
Afdeling Geologie, 200e, Celestijnenlaan – bus 2410, 3001 Leuven (Belgïe)
Ivan Jadin
Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, DO Terre et Histoire de la vie, Anthropologie & Préhistoire, 29, rue Vautier, 1000 Bruxelles (Belgique)