Answer A - Coloured

Carved motif in red ochre colour

If any pigment had been used to colour the cup and ring marks it would have long since weathered away, but perhaps once they were brightly coloured with ochre.

Red, yellow and orange paint has been found on stones of a similar age settlement, and infra-red images show white pigment on a slab at a nearby burial tomb. However, creating the motifs involved ‘puncturing’ the weathered rock surface to expose the lighter or different coloured interior of the stone. The freshly pecked motifs would have stood out without the need for paint.

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