Elizabeth Catherine Velliky

Elizabeth Catherine Velliky is a Research Fellow at the University of Bergen, affiliated with the Department of Archaeology, History, Cultural Studies and Religion, and a core member of the SFF Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour (SapienCE). Her research focuses on mineral pigments, particularly ochre, and their role in human behavior during the Paleolithic and Later Stone Age periods. She specializes in interdisciplinary approaches integrating archaeology, geology, anthropology, and archaeometry to explore pigment acquisition, use, and symbolic expression.

Research Interests

• Prehistoric ochre use and symbolism
• Geochemical and microanalytical techniques in archaeological studies
• Cultural evolution and behavioral modernity
• Rock art and pigment provenance in Africa, Europe, and North America
• Interdisciplinary frameworks for material heritage studies

Recent Work

Her current projects investigate ochre assemblages from Blombos Cave (South Africa), Swabian Jura (Germany), and Eswatini, linking pigment behavior to early human cognition and social complexity. She emphasizes transdisciplinary collaboration, combining fieldwork, lab analyses, and ethnographic insights to reconstruct ancient practices. Recent work highlights ochre’s role in identity formation, ritual, and knowledge transmission across continents and millennia.

Funding & Grants

Her research is supported by the Research Council of Norway (Project 262618), the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, and the SapienCE Centre. She has led and contributed to excavations in South Africa, Germany, Norway, Oman, Israel, Canada, and eSwatini.

Labs/Teams

• Center for Early Sapiens Behaviour (SapienCE), University of Bergen
• Matter, Gesture, and Soul: A Cross-Disciplinary Artistic Research Project