The World’s Oldest Artificial Pigment

T

The world’s oldest artificial pigment, Egyptian Blue, was first used over 4,500 years ago. It was apparently first formulated in Egypt, but was used by Greeks and other contemporary cultures as well. And now some of its unique properties are finding potential applications in today’s world.

The creation of Egyptian Blue involved a complex chemical process. It is a mixture of silica, copper, lime and natron, and had to be heated at least once during its formulation. Its blue coloring is caused by the presence of a calcium-copper tetrasilicate which is also found as a natural mineral called cuprorivaite. The Egyptians called it hsbd-iryt, which means artificial lapis lazuli.

The Egyptians loved bright colors and applied Egyptian Blue to numerous objects. They used it on stone, wood, papyrus, plaster and canvas and included it as a coloring agent when they made beads, scarabs, cylinder seals, pots, statuettes and numerous other products. It has been found on wall paintings at Luxor and on sculptures recovered at the Parthenon. It was used by artisans in the Near East and the Eastern Mediterranean, and appeared throughout the Roman Empire until the end of the Fourth Century AD.

When a red light is shone on the Egyptian Blue pigment, it reflects infrared light which is easily detected by night-vision goggles or cameras. Archaeologists and other experts have taken advantage of this unusual property to help identify genuine antiquities since the pigment was not used after the 4^th century AD. It appears that the secret to its manufacture was lost about that time. Sir Humphry Davy and other 19^th-century scientists began studying Egyptian Blue and now it is the subject of investigation by chemists at the University of Georgia. Those same researchers are not looking at a related compound, barium copper tetrasilicate, which was used as a pigment by the ancient Chinese.

The University of Georgia team of chemists is excited about the possible modern uses of these ancient compounds. Perhaps this will encourage other researchers to investigate other ancient technologies.

If you’d like to read further, visit Archaeology’s website

You can also read my post about the potential modern-day uses of Egyptian Blue here

The World’s Oldest Flowing Water

The world’s oldest flowing water has been found in a buried reservoir beneath a copper and zinc mine in Timmins, Ontario in Canada. The numbers are staggering, both for its age and the depth at which it was found.

The water was found by a team of miners drilling into bedrock about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) beneath the surface. It did not start out there, however. Originally it seeped from above ground from primeval oceans. Chemical analyses of the water indicate that it contains high levels of hydrogen as well as methane and xenon gases. The xenon, which is an isotope, was used to estimate the water’s age. The tests revealed that the water is no less than 1.5 billion years old and may be more than 2.6 billion years old. This means that it existed during the time that the first multi-celled life forms were making their appearance on the planet. It also provides insights into the chemical composition of earth’s ancient oceans and atmosphere.

It is the possibility that microbial life forms might be present in this ancient water that excites many scientists. They are testing water samples to see if they can detect life forms. If they do, there may be a chance that some form of life may still exist on Mars, which once contained significant oceans. They may also offer insights into how microbes evolve in isolation. There is a precedent for this theory. Microbes have been found in water with a similar chemistry that was isolated beneath a South African gold mine. These tiny creatures used hydrogen gas as an energy source.
The Canadian water offers scientists an invaluable look at our planet’s evolution. It will be interesting to see what scientists learn as they study this remarkable discovery.

If you’d like more technical information about the water and its implications, go here.

One of the World’s Oldest Lab Experiments

In 1927 an experiment began at Queensland University. It is still ongoing, making it one of the world’s oldest continuous laboratory experiments. And its total production is so small it’s sort of like watching cold molasses flow.

Actually, it’s not molasses. It’s pitch, which is at least 230 billion times more viscous than water. It’s also the world’s stickiest substance. It’s so slow that no one has actually been around when a small drop falls from the lump.

The experiment itself involves a block of pitch. Pitch is so brittle that it can be smashed with a hammer, but actually behaves like a fluid. So scientists have watched this particular block of pitch for more than 95 years. Recently, however, there’s been a little excitement. Only eight drops have been produced since the experiment began, but now it looks as though a ninth is getting ready to fall. No one knows, of course, when it will actually fall. The last drop fell in 2000.

Professor John Mainstone has run the pitch experiment since the 1960s. He says that no one has actually seen a drop fall. Mainstone missed one when he stepped out for coffee and came back to find the new drop. A webcam failed in 1988 when another drop fell. A watch has been established and cameras are at the ready. Prof. Mainstone plans to share the impending drop with web users hoping to actually see it fall.

For more information, go here

The World’s Oldest Railway Tunnel

British archaeologists have discovered what they believe is the world’s oldest railway tunnel, although there may be some dispute between the newly discovered tunnel and another which up to now was believed to be the oldest. Coincidentally, both tunnels are located in Derbyshire.

The newly discovered tunnel lies on a route known as the Butterley Gangroad. In the beginning the railway was literally powered by horses and was built in 1793. The archaeologist in charge of the project believes that at least parts of the tunnel were built at about the same time the rest of the route was completed. If this is true, its competitor, located on the Peak Forest Tramway and built in 1795, is about two years younger than the Butterley Gangroad tunnel.

The Butterley Gangroad line was originally engineered by Benjamin Outram. In November 1813, legendary Scottish engineer William Brunton tested a steam locomotive built at the Butterley works located in Ripley. (This locomotive was the first steam locomotive to operate in the East Midlands.) The old route was turned into a narrow gauge line during a modernization project in the 1840s and was used by steam engines until it was closed down in 1933. It was used as an air raid shelter during World War II and was finally sealed off in 1980.

The current landowners approached the Derbyshire Archaeological Society and requested an investigation of the tunnel. The Society agreed and opened the tunnel. One of the first projects completed after the tunnel was reopened was the creation of a three-dimensional computer model its interior.

The entire investigation is expected to take approximately two years. Once the work is completed the tunnel will be resealed to preserve it.

If you’d like to learn more, visit here