On the grounds of Emperor Nero ’s wondrous castle , where legendary political party once scandalize and astonished , archaeologist have uncovered a giant ball of saturated Egyptian blue paint , roughly the size of a swollen Citrus paradisi .
The rare relic was found during recent excavations of theDomus Aurea , the massive mansion house commission by Emperor Nero and located near the Colosseum in the core of ancient Rome . The structure was built after the Great Fire of 64 CE , a disaster Nero was impeach of instigating so as to well-defined blank space for his howling young castle .
In a recent slam , excavators find two basins that hold thecoloredpigments used in the paries medallion , including a dusting of flushed and yellow ochre . Most remarkable , though , was the uncovering of a with child ingot of Egyptian drear pigment weighing 2.4 kilo ( 5.2 pounds ) .
Early morning rays of light hit the Domus Aurea in Rome, Italy.Image credit: Jasmine_K/Shutterstock.com
The Domus Aurea was a place ofextreme opulence – which is on the button what you ’d await for a drawing card as tyrannical and ego - lenient as Nero .
It featured lots of ornately decorated way , including bathrooms with normal and sulphurous water system , and several feasting halls , most notably the famouscoenatio rotunda , which is said to have had a rotating ceiling to mimic the movement of the heavens .
Evidently , Egyptian blue was another key element in the castle ’s grandeur . The artificialpigmentwas highly seek - after by ruler across the ancient world . It was used in art to create cooler , more lifelike tone for the skin of material body , to enhance chiaroscuro in the folding of clothing , and to add a striking gleam to the eye .
The earliest documented use of the paint hail from the mid - third millennium in Egypt and Mesopotamia , but it afterwards proliferate throughout much of the ancient Mediterranean . One of the hub of product was in the Egyptian city of Alexandria , although it ’s known it was also made more locally in the Italian peninsula . Traces of the pigment have even been found among the ruins ofPompeii , the Roman city that was smothered ( and preserved ) by a volcanic eruption in 79 CE .
researcher at the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum Leslie Townes Hope that their ongoing work at the Domus Aurea will excavate more grounds of Egyptian blue and discover how ancient artisans used these arresting pigment .
“ The allure conveyed by the depth of this pigment’sblueis incredible , ” Alfonsina Russo , Director of the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum , say in astatement .
“ Once again , the Domus Aurea excites and reveals the blaze of the colors used by the painters who skillfully decorated the suite of this cute and polished imperial palace , ” add Russo .
