Painted stones?

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Littlestone L
Littlestone Apr 13, 2008 15:11:01
Replying to Mr Hamhead

...what hope for paint applied in 2ooo BC?
Well, if the paints are inorganic, Mr H, they stand a fair chance of surviving (if they've been kept in a reasonably stable environment that is). I don't know if anyone's actually done any research on this (evidence of paint on megaliths) but it would certainly make an interesting study. Wasn't there a theory a few years ago that the Thornborough Henges may have been coated with gypsum when first built - that being the case it might suggest there was a painting tradition on a megalithic scale in the Neolithic.

S Stoneshifter
Stoneshifter Apr 13, 2008 16:35:51
Replying to Littlestone

I have one - that's been painted. Problem is one of the country's rock art academic has viewed it and think it's natural. Which is just crackers. The rock collects dust and I put it in a bath once, lukewarm water, a little detergent, and scrubbed it. Some of the paint flaked off and collected in the bath, after it was drained. I should have kept the particles - but didn't - and they had a lovely smell, like a mixture of coal dust and hemp oil. So that's what I think that paint was. The stone had been buried for many years ...

H Hob
Hob Apr 13, 2008 22:32:22
Replying to Littlestone

Littlestone wrote:
Well, if the paints are inorganic, Mr H, they stand a fair chance of surviving (if they've been kept in a reasonably stable environment that is).
Apparently paint can sometimes survive for 5000yrs in the open air:
http://www.6d.fi/Lifestyle/page.2008-03-31.0662985477