History is full of vanished arts and techniques that researchers are still trying to crack, such as decoding heirloom recipes lost to time. Some of those formulations belong to vivid colors that our ancestors developed millennia ago.
It’s easy to think of the past as a sepia-toned expanse. Over time, paint has flecked away from objects, and dyes have faded from disintegrating fabrics.
But civilizations that lived thousands of years ago were awash in a vibrant array of colors.
Generations of artisans worked to achieve brilliant hues, such as the perfect shade of blue. And microscopic traces have revealed that floral motifs once bedecked Greek marble statues.
Now, researchers may have uncovered the secret to one of the most treasured colors of all time.
