Researchers have identified traces of a rare blue pigment, azurite, on a stone artifact from the Final Paleolithic site of Mühlheim-Dietesheim in Germany, dating back about 13,000 years. This finding challenges long-held assumptions that early European artists used only red and black pigments. The discovery suggests ancient people had advanced knowledge of minerals and possibly used blue for decoration or textiles.
At the archaeological site of Mühlheim-Dietesheim in Germany, a team from Aarhus University examined a stone artifact from the Final Paleolithic period, approximately 13,000 years old. Using advanced scientific techniques, they detected faint blue residues on the object, which analysis confirmed as azurite, a bright blue mineral not previously documented in Paleolithic European art.
"This challenges what we thought we knew about Paleolithic pigment use," stated Dr. Izzy Wisher, the lead author of the study. For decades, scholars believed Ice Age artists in Europe relied primarily on red and black pigments, as evidenced by surviving artworks. The scarcity of blue in the archaeological record led to theories of limited access to blue minerals or cultural preferences against the color.
The new evidence indicates that Paleolithic people possessed a deeper understanding of mineral pigments and could draw from a wider color palette. "The presence of azurite shows that Paleolithic people had a deep knowledge of mineral pigments and could access a much broader color palette than we previously thought - and they may have been selective in the way they used certain colors," Wisher explained. This suggests applications beyond cave paintings, such as personal adornment or textile coloring, which leave faint traces in the record.
Initially thought to be an oil lamp, the artifact now appears to have served as a palette for grinding or mixing pigments. The research, involving collaborators like Rasmus Andreasen, James Scott, Christof Pearce from Aarhus University, and Thomas Birch from Aarhus and the National Museum of Denmark, along with experts from Germany, Sweden, and France, was published in the journal Antiquity in 2025.
This breakthrough prompts a reevaluation of color's role in expressing identity, status, and beliefs in early human cultures, revealing a more vibrant Paleolithic world than previously imagined.