Palaeoproteomic investigation of archaeological sediments associated with ochre use in the Middle Stone Age of southern Africa.
11 affiliations
- 1SFF Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour (SapienCE), University of Bergen , 5007 Bergen, Norway.
- 2Research Center for Integrative Evolutionary Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI) , Hayama, Kanagawa 240-0193, Japan.
- 3Institute for Advanced Study, Kyushu University , Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
- 4Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen , 1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark.
- 5Interdisciplinary Center for Archaeology and Evolution of Human Behaviour (ICArEHB), University of Algarve , 8005-139 Faro, Portugal.
- 6Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London , Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK.
- 7Institute for Archaeological Sciences and Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, University of Tübingen , 72074 Tübingen, Germany.
- 8Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen , 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.
- 9CNRS UMR5199 PACEA, Université de Bordeaux , 33615 Pessac Cedex, France.
- 10School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand , Johannesburg 2000, South Africa.
- 11Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand , Johannesburg 2000, South Africa.
Abstract
The African Middle Stone Age (MSA) represents the cultural and technological context associated with the emergence of Homo sapiens and the development of complex cognition. In this setting, ochre use is considered a multifaceted proxy for modern behaviour, allowing inferences about technical and symbolic aspects of Homo sapiens. Powdered ochre is reported in multiple southern African ethnographic and archaeological contexts alongside various organic materials, some of which are protein-based. Yet, the recovery of proteinaceous residues is rare in the MSA. Since proteins can offer insights into their tissue and species of origin, identifying proteins in association with ochre may help to infer its function. At Klipdrift Shelter (South Africa), the 60 000-year-old Howiesons Poort layers contain a laterally continuous, ochre-rich sediment surface, possibly over 1 m long, 40 cm wide, and up to 1 cm thick. We used palaeoproteomics to identify proteinaceous traces from this feature. Our analysis identified type I collagen confidently matching common eland (Taurotragus oryx) in two samples. Together with the feature's highly complex nature, these findings suggest the deliberate mixing of eland-derived proteins with ochre powder. Our results confirm that palaeoproteomics can be a reliable tool for reconstructing the protein component of the early human material culture.
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BibTeX
@article{haghighi2026palaeoproteomic,
title = {{Palaeoproteomic investigation of archaeological sediments associated with ochre use in the Middle Stone Age of southern Africa.}},
author = {Zahra Haghighi and Takumi Tsutaya and Elizabeth C Velliky and Simon Armitage and Christopher Miller and Meaghan Mackie and Francesco d'Errico and Gaudry Troche and Jesper Olsen and Karen van Niekerk and Christopher Henshilwood and Enrico Cappellini},
journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1098/rspb.2025.3300},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42901525},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Palaeoproteomic investigation of archaeological sediments associated with ochre use in the Middle Stone Age of southern Africa.
AU - Zahra Haghighi
AU - Takumi Tsutaya
AU - Elizabeth C Velliky
AU - Simon Armitage
AU - Christopher Miller
AU - Meaghan Mackie
AU - Francesco d'Errico
AU - Gaudry Troche
AU - Jesper Olsen
AU - Karen van Niekerk
AU - Christopher Henshilwood
AU - Enrico Cappellini
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Proceedings. Biological sciences
DO - 10.1098/rspb.2025.3300
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42901525
AB - The African Middle Stone Age (MSA) represents the cultural and technological context associated with the emergence of Homo sapiens and the development of complex cognition. In this setting, ochre use is considered a multifaceted proxy for modern behaviour, allowing inferences about technical and symbolic aspects of Homo sapiens. Powdered ochre is reported in multiple southern African ethnographic and archaeological contexts alongside various organic materials, some of which are protein-based. Yet, the recovery of proteinaceous residues is rare in the MSA. Since proteins can offer insights into their tissue and species of origin, identifying proteins in association with ochre may help to infer its function. At Klipdrift Shelter (South Africa), the 60 000-year-old Howiesons Poort layers contain a laterally continuous, ochre-rich sediment surface, possibly over 1 m long, 40 cm wide, and up to 1 cm thick. We used palaeoproteomics to identify proteinaceous traces from this feature. Our analysis identified type I collagen confidently matching common eland (Taurotragus oryx) in two samples. Together with the feature's highly complex nature, these findings suggest the deliberate mixing of eland-derived proteins with ochre powder. Our results confirm that palaeoproteomics can be a reliable tool for reconstructing the protein component of the early human material culture.
SN - 0962-8452
SN - 1471-2954
ER -