Ochre and the dawn of human culture

Dr. Tammy Hodgskiss

In a captivating talk, Tammy describes the prominent role that ochre, an iron-rich rock that users can turn into a colourful powder, has played in the human evolutionary journey. In addition to being used as a pigment in rituals, ochre has several other practical applications, including sunscreen, mosquito repellent, and medicine. Ochre is especially intriguing because it appears in the archaeological record around when Homo sapiens became "human."

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Tammy Hodgskiss has been the curator of the Origins Centre museum at the University of the Witwatersrand. She received her Ph.D. in archeology from Wits University in 2013. Her passion is ochre use in the past and present in southern Africa. She has published on this topic in local and international journals. Tammy has worked on the ochre assemblages at various South African sites, including Sibudu and Rose Cottage Caves. She also keeps her hands dirty by running interactive ochre workshops involving ochre paint creation and archaeology-inspired painting. 

Web: researchgate.net

Instagram: @tammyhodgie

Twitter: @TammyReynKiss