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Raman microscopy of hand stencils rock art from the Yabrai Mountain, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China

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Abstract

A series of rock art pictographs in the form of hand stencils discovered in two sites of the Yabrai Mountain, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (China) has been studied by micro-Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electronic microscopy combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy for the first time. These studies have made possible to characterise the materials present. The minerals α-quartz, phlogopite, albite and microcline have been identified in the granitic rocks supporting the paintings. Calcite and dolomite micro-particles detected on the rock surface have been attributed to desert dust. Accretions of gypsum, anhydrite and whewellite have also been identified on the rock surface. Haematite is the pigment used in the red pictographs, whereas well-crystallised graphite has been used in the black ones. The use of crystalline graphite instead of amorphous carbon (charcoal, soot or bone black) as a black pigment in rock art is an interesting novelty. Overlapped hands are proposed as a new type of hand stencils to make an unusual pictorial symbol in rock art that has been found in these sites.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. S. Martin (UNED) for their help in recording SEM/EDX data. Financial support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is also gratefully acknowledged. A referee offered comments that improved the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ciencias y Técnicas Fisicoquímicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Paseo Senda del Rey 9, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Antonio Hernanz, Mercedes Iriarte & Jose M. Gavira-Vallejo

  2. School of Biomedical Engineering, Capital Medical University, 10 Xitoutiao, Youanmen Fengtai, Beijing, 100069, China

    Jinlong Chang

  3. Area de Prehistoria, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, Colegios 2, 28801, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain

    Rodrigo de Balbín-Behrmann & Primitiva Bueno-Ramírez

  4. Departamento de Química Inorgánica y Química Técnica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Paseo Senda del Rey 9, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Angel Maroto-Valiente

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  1. Antonio Hernanz
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  2. Jinlong Chang
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Correspondence to Antonio Hernanz.

Appendix

Appendix

The location of the Taorengaole rock shelter (site 1) and Elesenhutele cave (site 2) where the hand stencils were discovered is indicated in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 9 satellite maps. Photographs of both sites and their painting panels are also shown in the same figures.

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Hernanz, A., Chang, J., Iriarte, M. et al. Raman microscopy of hand stencils rock art from the Yabrai Mountain, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. Appl. Phys. A 122, 699 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-016-0228-z

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