Research of coloring pigments and binding compounds from the Upper Palaeolithic (UP), including on portable art objects such as personal ornaments, provides new insights into social and cultural aspects of human history. However, we lack a comprehensive study of the composite pigment mixtures and binding materials that were produced intentionally and used for coloration. The study of several personal ornaments from the UP layers dated 31–23 ka calBP in Mezmaiskaya Cave, North Caucasus (Russia), shows that UP paints have a complex chemical composition. Using ATR–FTIR and SEM–EDS, we have identified that for coloring organic personal decorations UP humans used composite paint mixtures produced from organic (bitumen) and inorganic (red bolus/kaolin) natural pigments. Also, we firstly identified that UP humans applied a proteinaceous binder, likely representing a kind of the gelatine type animal glue, which they intentionally produced from animal origin materials using boiling. This is the oldest evidence of boiling placing its origin at about 30 ka within the late UP and linking this innovation to the need of producing organic binding material for dyeing rather than with the food preparation.

对旧石器时代晚期 (UP) 的着色颜料和粘合化合物的研究，包括对个人装饰品等便携式艺术品的研究，为人类历史的社会和文化方面提供了新的见解。然而，我们缺乏对有意生产并用于着色的复合颜料混合物和粘合材料的全面研究。对北高加索（俄罗斯）Mezmaiskaya 洞穴中 UP 岩层中 31-23 ka calBP 中的一些个人装饰品的研究表明，UP 涂料具有复杂的化学成分。使用 ATR-FTIR 和 SEM-EDS，我们发现，为了给有机个人装饰品着色，UP 人类使用了由有机（沥青）和无机（红团/高岭土）天然颜料生产的复合涂料混合物。此外，我们首先发现UP人类使用了一种蛋白质粘合剂，很可能代表一种明胶型动物胶，他们有意通过煮沸的方式从动物源材料中生产出这种胶。这是沸腾的最古老的证据，将其起源于 UP 晚期约 30 ka，并将这一创新与生产用于染色的有机粘合材料的需要联系起来，而不是与食品制备联系起来。