Colors of Antiquities

choi

My comment: antiquity (n):
"1: ancient times; especially : those before the Middle Ages
* * *
3 plural  relics or monuments (as coins, statues, or buildings) of ancient times"
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antiquity

Definition 3 is what I mean; if I used singular form, it would be definition 1.


(1) Elisabetta Povoledo, Technology Identifies Lost Color at Roman Forum. New York Times, June 25, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/2 ... as-rich-yellow.html
("The latest generation of [noninvasive] ultraviolet-visual absorption spectrometers are more manageable and more sensitive, [that] can get a reading analyzing a grain of pigment on a square centimeter")

Note:
(a) Second Temple
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Temple
(built by Herod (73 or 74 BCE-4 BCE); stood on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem between 516 BCE and 70 CE; replaced the First Temple [also known as Solomon's Temple] which was destroyed in 586 BCE, when the Jewish nation was exiled to Babylon)
(b) Arch of Titus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arch_of_Titus
(constructed in c 82 AD by the Roman Emperor Domitian [reign 81-96] shortly after the death of his older brother Titus to commemorate Titus' victories)

Quote: "The Arch of Titus has provided the general model for many of the triumphal arches erected since the 16th century—perhaps most famously it is the inspiration for the 1806 Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, completed in 1836.

(c) Titus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titus
(39-81 AD; Roman emperor 79-91)
(d) Roman Forum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Forum
(e) The report states, "The arch’s menorah is thought to be the image used for the emblem of the State of Israel, though that hypothesis has been debated."

Emblem of Israel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emblem_of_Israel
(f) For ocher, see ochre
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ochre
("Ochres are among the earliest pigments used by mankind, derived from naturally tinted clay containing mineral oxides. Chemically, it is hydrated iron (III) oxide [or ferric oxide], mineralogically known as limonite. Modern artists' pigments continue to use the terms 'yellow ochre' and 'red ochre' for specific hues")

(2) My interest was piqued as to how colors of terra cotta warriors were determined. It turns out that they were not (determined by spectrometry, for example).

Secrets of The Dead: China’s Terracotta Warriors. PBS, May 5, 2011.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/ ... ram-transcript/840/

Quote:

(a) Abour fading color:

"The warriors emerge from the earth bearing traces of brilliant color… But those colors vanish within a week … Sometimes minutes … After excavation.

"For years, an international alliance of experts from China and Germany has battled to save the terra cotta warriors’ colors. It is a battle they still haven’t won … But at least they’ve identified the enemy.

"The problem is that the lacquer layer was embedded in the wet soil for 2200 years, As soon as excavation exposes the ancient lacquer to air, its moisture begins to evaporate … As the lacquer dries out, it begins to shrink… Until it curls up and separates from the clay … taking paint with it.

(b) About "Chinese purple":

"When they analyzed surviving color fragments, conservation experts made an unexpected discovery. One of those ancient colors differed from the others. Known as Chinese purple, it has unique and surprising properties.

"Chinese purple is one of only two entirely man-made colors produced anywhere in the world before the birth of Jesus. The other was Egyptian blue … Created by chemists working for the pharoahs thousands of miles from China … And centuries before the silk road opened up trade between China and the west.

"Stanford’s powerful x-ray machine confirms that Chinese purple and Egyptian blue shared all the same ingredients… With two exceptions.

"Egyptian blue contains calcium … While Chinese purple has barium in it. And the Chinese also added something the Egyptians never used … Lead oxide. It … Indicates that the Chinese really actually invented the Chinese purple completely independently from the Egyptians there was no technology transfers at all.