Although prehistoric sites frequently contain numerous fragments and traces of many different kinds of colouring matter, intensive study of this type of archaeological remains began only recently. Such studies, aimed at determining how raw materials formed and changed over time, and how they were transported by the groups of humans who used them, are extremely valuable as they reveal shared strategies, that is, cultural traditions and the spaces in which they developed. The scope of this paper focusses on the description of the main geological contexts in which ferruginous colouring materials form and are found. In the framework of a collective research program called Pigmentothèque (iron- and manganese-rich rocks and minerals library), geological surveys are conducted taking into consideration the geological settings in which colouring materials are present and using a common record and sampling methodology which is followed by petrophysical, mineralogical and chemical analyses based on a shared procedure and vocabulary. In order to go beyond descriptions based solely on colour and chemical composition, we describe the great variety of iron-rich materials that can be used to obtain colouring matter. This diversity in the formation and evolution of iron-rich materials must be taken into account when trying to understand past humans’ choices of raw materials, their provenance and the anthropogenic and natural modifications they have undergone. We also describe criteria for recognising cohesive remains of colouring matter during archaeological excavations, so these artefacts can take their place alongside other mineral resources in helping improve our understanding of past societies.

中文翻译：

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追溯旧石器时代着色材料来源的地质收藏和方法

尽管史前遗址经常包含许多碎片和许多不同种类的着色物质的痕迹，但对这类考古遗迹的深入研究直到最近才开始。此类研究旨在确定原材料如何随时间形成和变化，以及它们是如何被使用它们的人类群体运输的，它们非常有价值，因为它们揭示了共同的策略，即文化传统和它们发展的空间. 本文的范围侧重于描述形成和发现含铁着色材料的主要地质环境。在一个名为 Pigmentothèque（富含铁和锰的岩石和矿物图书馆）的集体研究计划的框架内，进行地质调查时要考虑到着色材料所在的地质环境，并使用共同的记录和取样方法，然后根据共同的程序和词汇进行岩石物理、矿物学和化学分析。为了超越仅基于颜色和化学成分的描述，我们描述了可用于获得色素的各种富含铁的材料。在试图了解过去人类对原材料的选择、它们的出处以及它们所经历的人为和自然变化时，必须考虑到富铁材料形成和演化的多样性。我们还描述了在考古发掘过程中识别着色物质粘性残留物的标准，