Chemical imaging reveals hidden details in Egyptian paintings
Researchers using a cutting-edge technique discovered hidden details in two ancient Egyptian paintings in the Theban Necropolis, near the River Nile, that date back more than 3,000 years.
The paintings are located within the tombs, in chapels where people could gather to commemorate the dead, CNN wrote.
Using portable chemical imaging technology, the researchers identified alterations made by the artists that are rare in Egyptian paintings, commonly thought to be the product of highly formalized workflows.
The study is also trying to upend tradition in Egyptology, as the analysis was performed in the tombs with advanced portable devices, whereas most studies are traditionally performed in museums or laboratories.
“What is new is the way we are trying to use those tools,” said Philippe Martinez, an Egyptologist at the Sorbonne University in Paris and lead author of the study published Wednesday in the journal PLOS ONE.
“The way these works of art have been dealt with before has been mainly, purely analog, and they have been somewhat taken for granted — nobody has been really looking at them from the point of view of the artists. We want to understand how these paintings were made.”
Chemical imaging technology involves X-ray fluorescence. X-rays, which are more commonly used in checking for fractures, create a map of the surface of the painting down to the molecular level, including its chemical properties. Another process, hyperspectral imaging, analyzes the painting on multiple wavelengths, such as ultraviolet or infrared, revealing more than is visible to the human eye.
The digital technology was used in two tombs that both date from the Ramesside Period (1292 BC to 1075 BC) in ancient Egypt.