Investigating Colors and Techniques on the Wall Paintings of the ‘Tomb of the Philosophers’, an Early Hellenistic Macedonian Monumental Cist Tomb in Pella (Macedonia, Greece)

Abstract

The ‘Tomb of the Philosophers’, owing its name to the iconographic theme depicted on the interior of its walls, offers a rare example of high-quality early Hellenistic painting, which enhances our knowledge on the use of painting materials and techniques in Greece during the late 4th–early 3rd century BC. The tomb was excavated in 2001 by the 17th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, in the area of the east cemetery of the ancient city of Pella and is among the largest built cist graves to have been found in the region to date. This article presents the results of a scientific investigation of the painting materials and techniques used in the tomb’s decoration by means of high-resolution visible- and raking-light imaging, broadband imaging (IRR, UIL, UVR, VIL), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and SEM-EDAX microanalysis on a representative number of samples. The examination of the paintings testifies to the application of elaborate painting techniques and to the use of a varied and rich chromatic ‘palette’ (iron oxides, Egyptian blue, malachite, conichalcite, cinnabar, lead white, carbon-based black, a purple organic colorant, yellow-orange arsenic and vanadium-based pigments). Furthermore, iconographic elements of the paintings were better visualized, allowing for a more accurate description and interpretation of the decorative program of the tomb.

Keywords

• ancient Greek painting
• ancient Macedonia
• Pella
• Hellenistic painting techniques
• pigments
• X-ray fluorescence