Ochre Chaînes Opératoires in Néolithic Greece: The Case of Kremasti-Kilada.

While red ochre had been exploited in the Aegean since the Upper Paleolithic, its use became more substantial and diverse during the Neolithic. The evidence comes in the form of: decoration of artifacts such as pottery; red-stained tools and containers; painted plaster; ochre pigment contained in vessels; an ochre mine; deliberately shaped ochre artifacts; worked and unworked pieces of ochre. It is the last category that we discuss in this paper by focusing on the assemblage from the Late Neolithic site of Kremasti-Kilada. With roughly 80 specimens, this is the largest assemblage known from Neolithic Greece. Our paper explores the Kremasti ochre chaînes opératoires through macroscopic, geochemical, and use-wear analysis, experimental work, ethnographic observations, and contextual data. We also discuss possible implements used to treat ochre, as well as potential surfaces or objects on which the processed material was applied. Finally, we draw comparisons with other assemblages in the same region and beyond, placing the Kremasti collection in its wider Aegean Neolithic context.

Greece; Neolithic; ochre; chaînes opératoires; portable X-ray fluorescence; use-wear analysis.