PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND CULTURAL STUDY OF COLORING MATERIALS FROM 1st c. AD MAGDALA, LOWER GALILEE

Abstract

Archaeological excavations conducted in Magdala in the last decade have recovered a large number of pig

ments and coloring materials from two main contexts: (1) the first-century synagogue (the oldest one discov

ered in the region of Lower Galilee), and (2) the market located on the shores of Lake Tiberiades (the Sea of

Galilee). The pigments recovered from the synagogue are from the remains of mural paintings preserved

there, while the coloring materials recovered from the market are shaped like balls of different sizes. The two

main aims of this study are: (1) to conduct the physical-chemical characterization of the remains of the mural

painting preserved in the synagogue and the coloring materials found in the market, and (2) to compare the

results. To achieve our objectives, we used a multi-technical method based on a combination of optimized

physico-chemical analysis techniques for identifying organic and inorganic substances. These comprised

microscopic techniques (LM, SEM-EDX), spectroscopic techniques (ATR-FTIR), chromatographic techniques

(GC-MS), and others (UV-vis, XRPD). Our results suggest that color in ancient Magdala was used not only

for pictorial purposes but also for several others. The components of some of the colored balls discovered in

the market, for example, indicate that they had a cosmetic and/or medicinal use, which invites analysis of

interesting issues related to customs and everyday life in this first-century Jewish settlement in Lower Gali

lee.