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Here is a colorized version of it based on extracted pigments: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/2317/the-queen-of-the-night-reconstruction/ https://www.worldh

• atombender 2y ago
  That's a great site! I had not heard of the World History Encyclopedia before. I love reconstructions like these. Museums all too often give the false impression of past times as colorless, impoverished ruins rather than what they used to look like in their heyday. The Great Pyramid of Giza used to be covered in smooth, white-painted limestone with a capstone of gold [1], and the Roman marble statues that are just white today used to be painted in lots of colors [2]. There are of course objects (such as jewelry and glass) that survive more or less intact. But most often the surviving objects are just pale shadows of the originals. I would love a museum that instead offered life-sized reconstructions that you could walk around in, to bring the past to life better. The Ishtar Gate in Berlin is an example of this that really works. (I bet most visitors think it's the real thing, though. Most of it is a modern reconstruction.) [1] https://www.openculture.com/2019/12/what-the-great-pyramid-of-giza-wouldve-looked-like-when-first-built.html https://www.openculture.com/2019/12/what-the-great-pyramid-o... [2] https://bigthink.com/high-culture/greek-statues-painted/ https://bigthink.com/high-culture/greek-statues-painted/