Medieval women's early involvement in manuscript production suggested by lapis lazuli identification in dental calculus.
Published version
Peer-reviewed
Repository URI
Repository DOI
Change log
Authors
Radini, A https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2099-2639
Tong, E
Speller, C https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7128-9903
Abstract
During the European Middle Ages, the opening of long-distance Asian trade routes introduced exotic goods, including ultramarine, a brilliant blue pigment produced from lapis lazuli stone mined only in Afghanistan. Rare and as expensive as gold, this pigment transformed the European color palette, but little is known about its early trade or use. Here, we report the discovery of lapis lazuli pigment preserved in the dental calculus of a religious woman in Germany radiocarbon-dated to the 11th or early 12th century. The early use of this pigment by a religious woman challenges widespread assumptions about its limited availability in medieval Europe and the gendered production of illuminated texts.
Description
Keywords
Aluminum Silicates, Body Remains, Color, Dental Calculus, Female, Germany, History, Medieval, Humans, Literature, Medieval, Microscopy, Electron, Scanning, Middle Aged, Nuns, Paintings, Radiometric Dating, Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission, Spectrum Analysis, Raman
Journal Title
Sci Adv
Conference Name
Journal ISSN
1122-1917
2375-2548
2375-2548
Volume Title
5
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Publisher DOI
Sponsorship
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/I001514/1)