Stratigraphy and orange-red matter of the Paleolithic decorated wall of the Font-de-Gaume cave, Dordogne, France

The understanding of the complex stratigraphy is important to be able to interpret as best as possible the analytical data in the framework of in-situ analyses of the decorated Palaeolithic cave walls. To this aim, an equivalent rock from the wall, traces of orange matter and a fragment of a calcitic concretion from the Font-de-Gaume cave were analyzed by sensitive and complementary analytical methods in the laboratory and at the synchrotron. The data obtained are compared with those of the red color of two polychrome bisons from the Font-de-Gaume cave, where the fragments are potentially coming from, to assess the informative potential of non-invasive in situ analyzes using portable devices. Thanks to this comparison, it was possible to better characterize the stratigraphy of the wall, to determine the taphonomic characteristics of the decorated wall and to identify potential markers at the level of the trace elements contained in the red-orange coloring matter, which make it possible to better distinguish between the different prehistoric figures.