Sampling of rock art pigments, Waterberg

To date, there has been no attempt to date rock art in the Waterberg. We propose sampling rock art pigment from 8 sites on the Waterberg plateau, Limpopo Province, for characterization for dating. In this initial phase, a tiny sample (0.5 mm squared) will be taken. The samples will be sent to Dr. A. Bonneau in Canada for characterization analysis. The characterization will indicate which pigments are suitable for dating. Images with pigment deemed suitable for AMS radiocarbon dating will be sampled for a second time to get enough material (1 and 2 cm squared). Dating will be done at the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, UK.