I am a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Bergen SFF Centre for Early Sapiens (SapienCE) in Bergen, Norway. Within the larger field of prehistoric Archaeology, I specialize in researching mineral pigments and human behaviour, rock art, and archaeometry. My current research focuses on the ochre assemblage from the Middle Stone Age of Blombos Cave, South Africa, and how ochre and pigments can inform us on the earliest forms of symbolic expression and the implications for the emergence of behavioural modernity. I am particularly interested in the acquisition and use of mineral pigments, not only from the traditional perspective of qualitative artefact categorization but within a framework of interdisciplinary and comprehensive field and laboratory analyses. This framework views mineral pigments from different angles by combining theory and methods from fields such as geology and geomorphology, anthropology and ethnography, experimental archaeology and archaeometry to explore the nuances and depth of ancient pigment-related behaviours.

During the last 10 years, I have worked on ochre-related projects from the European Upper Palaeolithic (specifically southwestern Germany), the South African MSA, the late MSA/LSA transition in eSwatini, and Holocene hunter-gatherers in British Columbia, Canada. I have worked on general archaeological field projects in the USA, Canada, Germany, Norway, Oman, Israel, South Africa and eSwatini. 

2024

• Culey, Jasmin; d'Errico, Francesco; Velliky, Elizabeth Catherine et al. (2024). Shifting perspectives: theoreticaL and analytical trends in Middle Stone Age ochre studies. (external link)
• Dutkiewicz, Ewa; Wolf, Sibylle; Velliky, Elizabeth Catherine (2024). Constructing Identity: Body decoration and modification in the Swabian Aurignacian. (external link)
• Velliky, Elizabeth Catherine; Hodgskiss, Tamryn; Straffon, Larissa et al. (2024). The Framework for Ochre Experiences (FOES): Towards a Transdisciplinary Perspective on the Earth Material Heritage of Ochre. (external link)

2023

• Rhodes, Sara; Velliky, Elizabeth Catherine; Bader, Gregor (2023). Clearing the brush of time: a re-examination of the Dikbosch 1 rockshelter legacy material and the Later Stone Age of the interior of South Africa. (external link)
• Macdonald, Brandi lee; Velliky, Elizabeth Catherine; Lindstädter, Jörg et al. (2023). Mineral pigment provisioning and rock art in Stone Age Eswatini. (external link)
• Samuelsen, Geir Harald; Velliky, Elizabeth Catherine; Johnslien, Marte et al. (2023). Resisting Nature. (external link)

2022

• Velliky, Elizabeth Catherine; Haaland, Magnus Mathisen; Mentzer, Susan M. et al. (2022). New insights into ochre features and their associated behaviours from the Howieson’s Poort layers at Klipdrift Shelter. (external link)
• Velliky, Elizabeth Catherine (2022). Current perspectives on ochre behaviors in the LSA of eSwatini. (external link)
• Velliky, Elizabeth Catherine; Conard, Nicholas j. (2022). Ochre and pigment behaivours throughout the Upper Palaeolithic (ca. 43.5-12.5 kya) in the Swabian Jura of Southwestern Germany. (external link)
• Bentsen, Silje Evjenth; Haaland, Magnus Mathisen; Milic, Jovana et al. (2022). Pilot fires: Preliminary Report from Interdisciplinary Actualistic Fire Experiments. (external link)

2021

• Velliky, Elizabeth; Schmidt, Patrick; Ludovic, Bellot-Gurlet et al. (2021). Early anthropogenic use of hematite on Aurignacian ivory personal ornaments from Hohle Fels and Vogelherd caves, Germany. (external link)
• Velliky, Elizabeth Catherine; Hodgskiss, Tammy; Haaland, Magnus Mathisen (2021). The MAMOR Database: Measuring Anthropogenic Markings on 3D Ochre Surface Renderings. (external link)
• Velliky, Elizabeth Catherine; Hodgskiss, Tammy; Straffon, Larissa Mendoza et al. (2021). Ochre Across Deep Time: A conversation exploring ochre's enduring role in human behavior and evolution, and in protecting Earth-systems knowledge. (external link)
• Macdonald, Brandi lee; Velliky, Elizabeth Catherine; Linstädter, Jörg et al. (2021). Ochre Provenance in Eswatini: Geochemical Insights on MSA/LSA Ochre Procurement. (external link)
• Velliky, Elizabeth Catherine; Macdonald, Brandi lee; Linstädter, Jörg et al. (2021). Archaeological, archaeometric and ethnographic perspectives on ochre behaviours in Eswatini. (external link)
• Haaland, Magnus Mathisen; Mentzer, Susan M; Velliky, Elizabeth Catherine et al. (2021). Characterizing microscopic ochre fragments at Middle Stone Age sites: Implications for evaluating in-situ ochre processing and use. (external link)
• Bader, Gregor; Forrester, Bob; Ehlers, Lisa et al. (2021). The Forgotten Kingdom: New investigations in the prehistory of Eswatini. (external link)
• Haaland, Magnus Mathisen; Mentzer, Susan M; Velliky, Elizabeth Catherine et al. (2021). Characterizing microscopic ochre fragments at Middle Stone Age sites: implications for evaluating prehistoric ochre use and deposition. (external link)
• Velliky, Elizabeth Catherine; d'Errico, Francesco (2021). The ochre workshop: past and present-day perspectives on colour and human behaviour. (external link)
• Samuelsen, Geir Harald; Sørensen, Elin T.; O'Kane, Eamon et al. (2021). The Palimpsest. (external link)

2020

• Haaland, Magnus Mathisen; Strauss, André M.; Velliky, Elizabeth et al. (2020). Hidden in plain sight: A microanalytical study of a Middle Stone Age ochre piece trapped inside a micromorphological block sample. (external link)
• Velliky, Elizabeth (2020). The past wasn’t black & white: the role of colour in the story of humans. (external link)
• Velliky, Elizabeth Catherine; MacDonald, B.L.; Porr, M. et al. (2020). First large-scale provenance study of pigments reveals new complex behavioural patterns during the Upper Palaeolithic of south-western Germany. (external link)
• Velliky, Elizabeth (2020). When Homo sapiens became like us: The Origins of Symbolism and how we define Modern Human Behaviour. (external link)
• Velliky, Elizabeth; Macdonald, Brandi lee; Porr, Martin et al. (2020). First large-scale provenance study of pigments reveals new complex behavioural patterns during the Upper Palaeolithic of southwestern Germany. (external link)

2019

• Velliky, Elizabeth; Conard, Nicholas j. (2019). Pigments and people in a changing landscape: Investigating ochre behaviors in Southwestern Germany during the Upper Paleolithic (ca. 44-12.5 kcal BP). (external link)
• Velliky, Elizabeth; Barbieri, Alvise; Porr, Martin et al. (2019). A preliminary study on ochre sources in Southwestern Germany and its potential for ochre provenance during the Upper Paleolithic. (external link)

2018

• Velliky, Elizabeth; Conard, Nicholas j.; Dapschauskas, Rimtautas et al. (2018). The use of ochre and painting during the Upper Paleolithic of the Swabian Jura in the context of the development of ochre use in Africa and Europe. (external link)
• Velliky, Elizabeth; Porr, Martin; Conard, Nicholas j. (2018). Ochre and pigment use at Hohle Fels cave: Results of the first systematic review of ochre and ochre-related artefacts from the Upper Palaeolithic in Germany. (external link)
• Velliky, Elizabeth (2018). Identifying diachronic changes in ochre behaviours throughout the Upper Palaeolithic (ca. 40-12.5kya) of Southwestern Germany. (external link)
• Velliky, Elizabeth (2018). The selection and exploitation of ancient pigments: Identifying diachronic trends in ochre use through NAA at Hohle Fels Cave, Germany. (external link)

2017

• Velliky, Elizabeth; Kandel, Andrew; Karakostis, Fotios Alexandros (2017). Sixth annual meeting of the European Society for the Study of Human Evolution. (external link)
• Velliky, Elizabeth (2017). Rötel- und Ockerartefakte aus dem Hohle Fels: Farbpigmente und Kunst von der Schwäbischen Alb. (external link)

2016

• Velliky, Elizabeth (2016). Identifying anthropogenic modification on archaeology ochre materials by early hominin populations. (external link)

See a complete overview of publications in Cristin.

Velliky, E.C., A. Barbieri, M. Porr, N.J. Conard, B.L. MacDonald (2019) A preliminary study on ochre sources in Southwestern Germany and its potential for ochre provenance during the Upper Paleolithic. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 27:101977.

Floss, H., R. Blumentritt, Ch. Hoyer, N. Huber, E.C. Velliky, N.J. Conard (2018): Palaeolithic Cave Art in the Swabian Jura? In: Floss, H. and Pastoors, A. (Eds.) 2018: Palaeolithic rock and cave art in Central Europe ? Session 31 of the XIX International Rock Art Conference IFRAO 2015 „Symbols in the Landscape: Rock Art and its Context“ Cáceres (Spain) 31.08 – 04.09.2015, Verlag Marie Leidorf (Rahden/Westf. 2018), p. 107-122.

Velliky, E.C., M. Porr and N.J. Conard (2018) Ochre and pigment use at Hohle Fels cave: Results of the first systematic review of ochre and ochre-related artefacts from the Upper Palaeolithic in Germany. PLOS ONE 13(12):e0209874.

Wolf, S., R. Dapschauskas, E.C. Velliky, N.J. Conard, H. Floss, & A.W. Kandel (2018) The Use of Ochre and Painting During the Upper Paleolithic of the Swabian Jura in the Context of the Development of Ochre Use in Africa and Europe. Open Archaeology 4(1), 185-205.

Karakostis, Fotios Alexandros, Elizabeth C. Velliky and Andrew W. Kandel (2017) Sixth annual meeting of the European Society for the Study of Human Evolution. Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews 26(1):7-8.

Velliky, Elizabeth (2016) Identifying anthropogenic modification on archaeology ochre materials by early hominin populations. SAS Bulletin, 39(2):4-6.

Velliky, Elizabeth and Rudy Reimer (2013) Rock Paintings of Squamish Valley, British Columbia: Geochemical Analysis of Pigments Using Portable ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (pXRF). American Indian Rock Art 39:130-141.