Abstract
Cracking the code on the Rosetta Stone launched the discipline of Egyptology and the craze of Egyptomania on the part of an excited public. Already inured to the realities of the death cult because of the importation of mummies and their unorthodox use in medicine and art, they waited eagerly for news of every revelation coming from newly unsealed tombs. Meanwhile, scholars were busy examining and analyzing the less spectacular, but much more valuable, cultural heritage data from this major wellspring of ancient civilization, most importantly the pigments used to decorate walls or inscribe papyri. The notable first recorded uses of some of these pigments bear witness to the ancient Egyptians' innovative spirit. Their creation of the first known synthetic pigment is testimony to their chemical ingenuity, and the clever chemists of today are discovering unique properties and still finding new uses for this ancient composite.
Publisher
The Royal Society of Chemistry