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ochre
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ochre
ochre A crosshatch design, scratched into a piece of ochre, crafted by early humans at least 70,000 years ago. The ochre came from Blombos Cave, near Stilbaai (Still Bay), Western Cape, South Africa.

ochre

earth pigment
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Also known as: ocher
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iron oxide
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ochre, a native earth coloured with hydrated iron oxide. It varies in colour from pale yellow to deep red, brown, and violet. There are two kinds: one has a clayey basis, while the other is a chalky earth. The former variety is in general the richer and purer in colour of the two. Both kinds are widely distributed in beds or pockets, mainly in stratified rocks and rubble and rarely as extensive deposits. Ochres are also artificially prepared in large quantities. Mars yellow is either a pure hydrated ferric oxide or an intimate mixture of that substance with an argillaceous or calcareous base. By careful calcination they can be transformed into Mars orange, violet, or red, all reliable pigments.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Michael Ray.