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Pigment Analysis in Archaeology

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Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology

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Introduction

Pigments are a common decorative component found in many archaeological and cultural contexts from around the world. The term “pigment” can be applied to materials that are used to color. Pigment analysis provides data that are valuable in interpreting cultural heritage.

Definition

Pigment analysis has been applied to a variety of materials, including pigments, paints, dyes, and inks. The color properties can arise from either inorganic (mineral pigments) or organic (dyes) materials or, in some cases, a combination of both. Depending on the chemical composition of the pigment and its binder, a variety of destructive and nondestructive techniques can be used to analyze the pigment.

Key Issues/Current Debates/Future Directions/Examples

The analysis of pigment materials has provided an important venue for understanding the cultural heritage as well as the technical qualities of the material itself. Pigments are found in rock art, frescoes, fabric, ceramic slips, manuscripts,...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Rachel Sarah Popelka-Filcoff

Authors
  1. Rachel Sarah Popelka-Filcoff
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rachel Sarah Popelka-Filcoff .

Section Editor information

  1. Departament de Prehistòria, Història Antiga i Arqueologia, ICREA/Universitat de Barcelona/SERP, Barcelona, Spain

    Inés Domingo Sanz

  2. "CONICET - AIA - UBA Asociación de Investigaciones Antropológicas", Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Danae Fiore

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Popelka-Filcoff, R.S. (2018). Pigment Analysis in Archaeology. In: Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51726-1_2281-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51726-1_2281-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-51726-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-51726-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference HistoryReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Humanities

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