Science Fiction website io9 has some news about some scientific discoveries made by a variety of institutes that can be combined to recreate the actual color of ancient paintings and statues. Combining Ultraviolet light technology with Infrared and X-Ray Spectroscopy they can determine exactly what materials were used in creation of the paint, accurately reconstructing not only the basic colors but the actual hues.
Spectroscopy relies on the fact that atoms are picky when it comes to what kind of incoming energy they absorb. Certain materials will only accept certain wavelengths of light. Everything else they reflect. Spectroscopes send out a variety of wavelengths, like scouts into a foreign land. Inevitably, a few of these scouts do not come back. By noting which wavelengths are absorbed, scientists can determine what materials the substance is made of. Infrared helps determine organic compounds. X-rays, because of their higher energy level, don’t stop for anything less than the heavier elements, like rocks and minerals. Together, researchers can determine approximately what color a millennia-old statue was painted.
via Ultraviolet light reveals how ancient Greek statues really looked.
