How did people use color in the ancient world?

The interior of the coffin of Egyptian army commander and scribe Ipi-Ha-Ishetef is decorated with items the deceased would need in the afterlife, such as food, jewelry and weapons. (Coffin of Ipi-Ha-Ishetef; ISACM E12072AB; cedarwood, paint; Egypt, attributed to Saqqara, First Intermediate Period, Dynasty 9–10 [2165–2134 BCE]). Photo courtesy of the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures.

This story by Chandler A. Calderon was originally published by UChicago News on July 19, 2024. Click here to read the full story.

A UChicago researcher and conservator illuminate the perception and role of pigment thousands of years ago

Over the past two decades, exhibits like Gods in Color and Chroma have popularized the idea that the ancient world was awash in color. But what do we really know about how ancient peoples understood and used color in their art, architecture, and clothing?

In Color in Ancient Art, an adult education class offered by the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures in February, continuing education manager Tasha Vorderstrasse, PhD’04, and senior conservator Alison Whyte shared their knowledge over three evenings on Zoom.

Ancient color

“Did ancient people perceive color the same way we do today?” Vorderstrasse asked during the first class. Her answer—perhaps surprising—was, in some fundamental ways, no. Since dyes and pigments came only from natural sources, the range of available colorants in the ancient world was limited. They also could be costly to produce and apply, so most people had limited access to colorful linens and decorations. Our current theory, in which color is seen as being on a spectrum, is also relatively recent, dating to Isaac Newton’s work with prisms in the mid-17th century.

---