4 ms·

> blond-haired men Do 1000yr old murals retain their color enough to be able to tell that the subjects originally had blonde hair?

liability 6y ago
If the original were still intact, perhaps chemical analysis of the pigments used could provide information about this. Unfortunately it seems that can't be done since the mural was destroyed decades ago. But maybe fragments of it remain in the area waiting to be found?
gpm 6y ago
I don't know anything about how these murals were made. 1000yr old books do for the most part. Silver pigment will have turned grey, but other high quality pigments were often based on minerals that are still vibrant to this day. (Cheap pignents on the other hand were often organic, which would often not have lasted).
mumblemumble 6y ago
Google for pictures of it. It's quite vibrant. There are even older Egyptian murals that are still colorful, too. Pigments can last a long time if you keep them out of the light. That said, once you have looked at a picture of the mural, I strongly doubt you'll come away thinking that it's a picture of Vikings.
- throwaway0a5e 6y ago
  While the particular mural may be in good shape I think it's worth pointing out that those Egyptian murals exist in the second best climate on earth for preservation (the first being the Antarctic desert). Nature is trying much harder to destroy anything of archeological significance in the jungles of central and South America and the Atlantic coast of the Northeast US and Canada. We're just never gonna have great information about these societies because a much larger fraction of the stuff they left behind will be gone.
  - liability 6y ago
    > While the particular mural may be in good shape It isn't, it's gone. The image in the article is a watercolor reproduction made in the 1920s-30s. And even when they found it, it was as deteriorating fragments on the floor, which were subsequently lost to a hurricane.
    - qubex 6y ago
      It’s stunning how much discussion is being made by people who haven’t read TFA.
      - throwaway0a5e 6y ago
        God forbid I not fact check everything in the comment I am replying to.

liability 6y ago

If the original were still intact, perhaps chemical analysis of the pigments used could provide information about this. Unfortunately it seems that can't be done since the mural was destroyed decades ago. But maybe fragments of it remain in the area waiting to be found?

gpm 6y ago

I don't know anything about how these murals were made. 1000yr old books do for the most part. Silver pigment will have turned grey, but other high quality pigments were often based on minerals that are still vibrant to this day. (Cheap pignents on the other hand were often organic, which would often not have lasted).

mumblemumble 6y ago

Google for pictures of it. It's quite vibrant. There are even older Egyptian murals that are still colorful, too. Pigments can last a long time if you keep them out of the light. That said, once you have looked at a picture of the mural, I strongly doubt you'll come away thinking that it's a picture of Vikings.

throwaway0a5e 6y ago
While the particular mural may be in good shape I think it's worth pointing out that those Egyptian murals exist in the second best climate on earth for preservation (the first being the Antarctic desert). Nature is trying much harder to destroy anything of archeological significance in the jungles of central and South America and the Atlantic coast of the Northeast US and Canada. We're just never gonna have great information about these societies because a much larger fraction of the stuff they left behind will be gone.
- liability 6y ago
  > While the particular mural may be in good shape It isn't, it's gone. The image in the article is a watercolor reproduction made in the 1920s-30s. And even when they found it, it was as deteriorating fragments on the floor, which were subsequently lost to a hurricane.
  - qubex 6y ago
    It’s stunning how much discussion is being made by people who haven’t read TFA.
    - throwaway0a5e 6y ago
      God forbid I not fact check everything in the comment I am replying to.