The lecture“Ancient Humanities in Color,” presented by Émilie Chalmin, associate professor, and Hélène Salomon, CNRS research fellow atthe Laboratory for Mountain Environments, Dynamics, and Territories(EDYTEM),Faculty of Sciences and Mountain Studies,will take place on Friday, February 22, 2019, at 6:00 p.m. at the Municipal Media Library, Pôle culturel de la Visitation in Thonon-les-Bains.
It will also take place on Thursday, March 28, 2019, at 6:30 p.m. in Albertville (Le Dôme Cinéma, 135 Place de l’Europe).
ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
Whether red, black, yellow, or purple, coloring materials were used repeatedly by Homo erectus, Neanderthals, and modern humans (from 300,000 to 40,000 years ago), long before their use in cave art. Carefully selected from geological formations, they were ground into powder using various stone tools. These uses have left traces that archaeologists can read on the colored rocks and tools, allowing them to reconstruct the history of these populations. However, the uses reserved for these coloring materials remain uncertain and require consideration of the smallest clues of activity.