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Dr. Monica Tromp mounts reference pigments for analysis using SEM-EDS.
Twelfth century illuminated self portrait of “Guda, a sinful woman.” One of the earliest surviving painted works by a medieval nun.
Magnified view of lapis lazuli particles embedded within medieval dental calculus.
Mined in Afghanistan, lapis lazuli was traded overland to cities in the Levant and Egypt, from where it was shipped to Venice, the major port of entry into Europe. From its source in the Badakhshan mines of Afghanistan, the lapis lazuli analyzed in this study travelled more than 6,000 kilometers to reach its final destination at a small women’s religious community in Dalheim, Germany.
During the European Middle Ages, Afghanistan was the only known source of the rare blue stone, lapis lazuli. Lapis lazuli contains different minerals that contribute to its unique appearance, including lazurite (blue), phlogopite (white), and pyrite (gold).
Lapis lazuli pigment, also known as ultramarine, was among the most expensive artist materials of the European Middle Ages. Ground and refined from lapis lazuli stone, the pigment was used to depict the heavens and the robes of the Virgin Mary.
Dental calculus on the lower jaw a medieval woman entrapped lapis lazuli pigment.
Paleofeces
PALEOBIOCHEMISTRY
SONY DSC
PALEOBIOTECHNOLOGY
El Mirón Cave (Cantabria, Spain)
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Reconstruction of life at Xiaohe ca 1800 BCE, by Kerttu Majander
Reconstruction of a young girl at the site of Xiaohe, by Kerttu Majander
Alex Huebner, by Petra Korlevic
Irina Velsko, by Petra Korlevic
Irina Velsko, by Petra Korlevic
James Fellows Yates, by Petra Korlevic
Maxime Borry, by Petra Korlevic
Megan Michel, by Petra Korlevic
Christina Warinner, by Petra Korlevic
Christina Warinner, by Petra Korlevic
Zandra Fagernäs, by Petra Korlevic
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Artist reconstruction of the ancient spread of malaria in Nepal, by Purna Lama
For photo inquiries, including high resolution images, captions, and photo credits, please contact Dr. Christina Warinner (christina_warinner@eva.mpg.de, warinner@fas.harvard.edu).