Most importantly, the authors "view...habitual ochre use as a proxy for the emergence of regular collective rituals". While ochre definitely can have functional uses, ritualised, visual display use appears primary: MSA ochres reflect costly and repetitive behaviours, including long-distance procurement and intentional colour selection.

"The overall dominance of grinding use-wear on archaeological specimens from the MSA indicates the primary production of powder". The authors note red residues produced on shell beads, when these appear later in sites like #Blombos, #Taforalt and now #Bizmoune. This likely results from bodypaint on skin or deliberate colouring.

In sum, they "view a large proportion of ochre finds from the MSA as the material remains of past ritual activity". This builds cogently on the position the #FemaleCosmeticCoalitions team took three decades ago that the ochre marked #ritual activity which was critical to the emergence of #symbolic cognition.

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Image: from the Moroccan MSA at Bizmoune dating for large blocks of ochre accompanying ochre-residued shell beads are now back to 140 thousand years ago.