According to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the oldest mine in America was used to excavate for ochre, the vital pigment used to make paint.
The mine, referred to as the Powars II site by archaeologists, is in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming. There, Indigenous people began quarrying for hematite (the iron oxide compound that produces the red pigment we know as ochre) some 12,840 years ago. The mine was used on and off for an ensuing 1,000 years.
Indigenous peoples used antlers and animal bones to excavate for the hematite. The pigment, once processed, would be used in a variety of rituals, and traces of it can be found in ancient graves, kill sites, and campsites.
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