Archaeologists discover oldest blue pigment in Europe, changing perceptions of Paleolithic art
Kyiv • UNN
The oldest blue mineral pigment, azurite, has been found in Germany on a 13,000-year-old stone artifact. This discovery changes perceptions of the color palette in prehistoric art, expanding the known boundaries of pigment use in the Paleolithic era.
In Germany, archaeologists have discovered the oldest blue mineral pigment in Europe, used by Paleolithic people over 13,000 years ago. The discovery changes perceptions of early creativity and the color palette in prehistoric art. This is reported by the publication Phys.org, referring to the results of a study from the journal Antiquity, writes UNN.
Details
According to research, at the Late Paleolithic site of Mülheim-Dietesheim, Germany, researchers discovered traces of a bright blue azurite pigment on a stone artifact approximately 13,000 years old. Using advanced scientific analyses, they confirmed that this is the oldest known use of blue mineral pigment in Europe. The results of the study are published in the journal Antiquity.
This calls into question what we thought we knew about the use of Paleolithic pigments
Previously, scientists believed that Paleolithic artists primarily used red and black pigments. It was thought that blue minerals were rare or unsuitable for art. The new discovery suggests that blue pigment could have been used for body decoration or dyeing fabrics – activities that leave few archaeological traces.
The presence of azurite shows that Paleolithic people had a deep knowledge of mineral pigments and could access a much wider color palette than we previously thought – and perhaps they were selective in their use of certain colors.
The stone with traces of azurite was initially perceived as a simple oil lamp, but now it is considered a surface for mixing pigments or a palette, indicating the complex artistic and cosmetic traditions of early humans.