Natural Earth Pigments From Roman and Arabic Wall Paintings Revealed by Spectroscopic Techniques

ABSTRACT Full identification of pigments used in wall paintings by Romans and Arabs that were recently discovered was achieved by the combined application of several spectroscopy methods. Identification of pigments was provided by the use of micro-Raman and FT-IR spectroscopy, while UV-Visible spectroscopy and chromatic studies permitted the authors to identify slight variations of hue attributed to mixtures of pigments. Natural earths and minerals were detected as the main pigments employed by both civilizations, although some differences were found between them. Red ochre, vermilion, yellow ochre, Egyptian blue, green earth, calcite, carbon, and possibly ivory blacks were identified in the Roman paintings. Only hematite and calcite were observed in the Arabic fragments.