| Title |
The first known use of vermillion
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, August 1995
|
| DOI | 10.1007/bf01922425 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
J. Martín-Gil, F. J. Martín-Gil, G. Delibes-de-Castro, P. Zapatero-Magdaleno, F. J. Sarabia-Herrero |
| Abstract |
Vermillion has been shown to be useful in preserving human bones from 5000 years ago. Remarkably well-preserved human bones have been found in the dolmenic burial 'La Velilla' in Osorno (Palencia, Spain), carefully covered by pulverized cinnabar (vermillion) which ensured their preservation even in non-favorable climatic conditions. We believe the red powder was deliberately deposited for preservative use because no cinnabar mine is to be found within 160 km, because of the large amount (hundreds of kilograms) used, and because its composition, red mercuric sulphide, is similar to that of preparations used in technical embalming. This finding pushes back the data of the use of mercury ore for preservation by four millennia in South America, and by at least one millennium in the Old World. Chemical and thermal analyses of vermillion in La Velilla have demonstrated its great purity and shown that the cinnabar was pulverized and washed (but not heated), producing a bright red-orange tone. |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 29 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 1 | 3% |
| Unknown | 28 | 97% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 7 | 24% |
| Researcher | 5 | 17% |
| Student > Bachelor | 4 | 14% |
| Student > Master | 4 | 14% |
| Student > Doctoral Student | 1 | 3% |
| Other | 5 | 17% |
| Unknown | 3 | 10% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental Science | 4 | 14% |
| Earth and Planetary Sciences | 4 | 14% |
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 3 | 10% |
| Chemistry | 3 | 10% |
| Social Sciences | 3 | 10% |
| Other | 8 | 28% |
| Unknown | 4 | 14% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 3. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 05 January 2024.
All research outputs
#8,534,976
of 25,374,647 outputs
Outputs from Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences
#2,146
of 5,877 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#7,016
of 22,271 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences
#4
of 9 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 25,374,647 research outputs across all sources so far. This one is in the 43rd percentile – i.e., 43% of other outputs scored the same or lower than it.
So far Altmetric has tracked 5,877 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a little more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 5.8. This one is in the 30th percentile – i.e., 30% of its peers scored the same or lower than it.
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