Archaeologica.org

All -


Hematite is very like the Tao.

OK - its very old - maybe 300/400 k years, and persistent.

And not very permeable to understanding.

Sooo....you could say that people were cognitive, communicative and travelled widely.

Or you could say.... to absolutely slaughter Bob Dylan -

God says to

Abraham, "Paint me a son red."

Abe says, "Man, you must be puttin' me on

But

I can't paint Fred red".

God say "No".

Abe say "Wha", then,

God say, "You can do what you want to Abe ,but

The next time you see me comin' you better run.'

Well Abe says, "Where you want this painting done?'

God says,

"Out on Hiway 61".


So there we go.


Just exactly what was the pre-cultural-bias

Call it Hematite "Hiway 61"

Which managed to successfully spread

A fairly uniform techne

And application of hematitie

Worldwide?

As opposed to the post-cultural bias

Which would have it as yet another flavor

Of some sort of pre-historical Starbucks.



john

John

Sorry to bust into your hematite thread (didn't I reply on this elsewhere?) but I'm finally reading your recommended Kabloona and am thoroughly enjoying it. Anyway, this passage made me laugh as it reminded me of our many discussions on oral versus writing traditions:

One year, at Tree River, the police were taking down a census of the natives. They would interrogate them, write down their names, father's names and the rest, while the Eskimos stood by mystified, wondering what the police were doing with these things called 'paper' and 'pencil'. When it was explained to them, they understood - that is, they decided that the white man possessed no memory and had invented this curious practice in order to preserve what he would otherwise forget.

Shortly afterwards, a young Eskimo arrived at this same Post and installed himself on the bench opposite the sergeant in charge. He sat and sat until the policeman, disgusted by the sight of his tranquil nose picking, threw him out. Ten minutes later, the door opened; the native came in with a broad grin and sat down again as if nothing had happened. The policeman, astonished, called an interpreter to find out why the man had come back.

"You threw him out ten minutes ago," said the interpreter, "But as he knows that you have no memory, he merely waited a while and then came in again, quite sure you must have forgotten him."

http://gemlore.wordpress.com/2007/09/13 ... -of-blood/

In clay form (mixed with water) this is called red ochre and has been used as a pigment around the world since prehistorical times - in fact, it is still used as a pigment for painting in some places (such as houses in Newfoundland and Aboriginal paintings in Australia).

Hematite/red ochre may have been one of the first materials used by pre-humans, based on controversial findings of Homo Heidelbergensis (Heidelberg Man - ancestor of Cro Magnon and Neandertals). These may have been the first to care for their dead as bodies have been found buried in the fetal positions, often with their bones stained with hematite - indicating that their bodies were sprinkled with hematite powder or hematite-based paint (such as red ochre or the powder mixed with oil as is still done in Newfoundland and Scandinaviatoday).
Of course, some archaeologists and other scientists think this is coincidence…

A micro-history of bloodstone/ hematite/red ochre.