Scientists Recreate Egyptian Blue Pigment After Thousands of Years — Created 5,000 Years Ago, the Mysterious Shade Was Used in Artwork and Artifacts Throughout the Ancient World

Written by Fabio Lucas Carvalho

Published on 17/06/2025 at 08:48

Updated on 17/06/2025 at 10:07

Um antigo falcão de madeira decorado com azul egípcio ao lado de um dos pigmentos recentemente desenvolvidos Matt Unger / Joshua Franzos / Museu Carnegie de História Natural

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Researchers Recreate Egyptian Blue, The Oldest Synthetic Pigment In The World, Used By Pharaohs, Romans, And Renaissance Artists

Researchers from three major institutions have achieved a rare feat: recreating Egyptian blue, the oldest known synthetic pigment in the world.

Used by ancient civilizations such as the Egyptians and Romans, it disappeared for centuries and is now back based on modern studies.

The Pigment That Crossed Millennia

Egyptian blue was created over 5,000 years ago. Its oldest sample was identified in an alabaster bowl dating to 3250 B.C.

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The Research That Revealed The Ancient Formula

The study was conducted by scientists from Washington State University, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute. They published the results in the journal NPJ Heritage Science.

The team created 12 different recipes using crystalline silica, copper, calcium, and sodium carbonate. Then, these mixtures were heated to over 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 11 hours. The result was the formation of pigments with color variations.

According to researcher John McCloy, small changes in the process resulted in significant differences in the final product. All versions had one thing in common: the mineral cuprorivaite.

The Invisible Light That Reveals Egyptian Blue

Egyptian blue has a unique property. It emits infrared light when stimulated by red light.

This characteristic is used by archaeologists to detect its presence in artifacts, even if the pigment is covered by other layers of paint.

According to McCloy, this allows for the identification of areas repaired with different pigments or hidden from the naked eye. The technique was used, for example, to discover that Raphael applied Egyptian blue in a Renaissance work from 1512.

Modern Uses For An Ancient Formula

The rediscovery of the pigment opens up possibilities for current uses. By emitting invisible light, it could serve for security technologies, such as anti-counterfeiting ink or revealing fingerprints.

This connection between ancient art and modern science is what impresses scholars the most. Simon Lewis from Curtin University highlighted the importance of seeking future solutions based on ancient knowledge.

The Composition And Symbolic Value Of The Pigment

The main ingredient of the recreated pigment is cuprorivaite. However, the final shade depends on other materials used in the mixture.

The researchers tested various compositions and compared the results with real pigments found in two artifacts from ancient Egypt.

For archaeologist Moujin Matin, who did not participate in the study, the production of Egyptian blue required a sophisticated context and advanced technologies for the time. He also recalled the symbolic value of the color blue in Egyptian culture, used in religious and everyday representations.

The Return Of A Forgotten Technique

The research revealed not only the ancient technique but also its complexity. Egyptian blue, far beyond its appearance, is an example of how ancient knowledge can still provide answers and inspirations for present days.

The study marks the return of knowledge that had been forgotten for centuries and is now being studied with scientific precision.

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Alysson

#144043

20/06/2025 08:34

Olhar para o passado, pode sim representar um passo adiante no futuro. Que matéria espetacular.

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Scientists Recreate Egyptian Blue Pigment After Thousands of Years — Created 5,000 Years Ago, the Mysterious Shade Was Used in Artwork and Artifacts Throughout the Ancient World

Researchers Recreate Egyptian Blue, The Oldest Synthetic Pigment In The World, Used By Pharaohs, Romans, And Renaissance Artists

The Pigment That Crossed Millennia

The Research That Revealed The Ancient Formula

The Invisible Light That Reveals Egyptian Blue

Modern Uses For An Ancient Formula

The Composition And Symbolic Value Of The Pigment

The Return Of A Forgotten Technique

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Scientists Recreate Egyptian Blue Pigment After Thousands of Years — Created 5,000 Years Ago, the Mysterious Shade Was Used in Artwork and Artifacts Throughout the Ancient World

Researchers Recreate Egyptian Blue, The Oldest Synthetic Pigment In The World, Used By Pharaohs, Romans, And Renaissance Artists

The Pigment That Crossed Millennia

The Research That Revealed The Ancient Formula

The Invisible Light That Reveals Egyptian Blue

Modern Uses For An Ancient Formula

The Composition And Symbolic Value Of The Pigment

The Return Of A Forgotten Technique

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A Chinese factory in Guangdong is assembling a humanoid robot every 30 minutes while Tesla, Figure, and Boston Dynamics still struggle to deliver 10 thousand per year.

Australia installs giant concrete structures on the seabed 800 meters from the shore to create an ocean intake for desalination that will draw in saltwater and produce 30 million liters of drinking water per day.

Secret chamber sealed 4,500 years ago found in the Pyramid of Khufu, and Hawass announces its opening to the world in 2026

A public school student single-handedly created a machine capable of treating water for up to 50 people using only solar energy. It was awarded third place at one of the most important science fairs in the world.

Germany installed vertical solar panels on a lake in Bavaria, and the result broke conventional logic: instead of producing energy at midday peak, the plant generates more early in the morning and in the evening, exactly when families turn on appliances and factories are in full swing.

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