No blue pigments have been found in Paleolithic art. This absence is attributed to the scarcity of naturally occurring blue pigments and the subtlety of these colors. However, archaeologists employed various methods to uncover traces of the lively blue mineral pigment azurite in Paleolithic adhesive stone artifacts from Mühlheim-Dietesheim, Germany, marking the earliest known use of blue pigments in Europe.
Three areas of blue residues found in the sandstone formations of stone artifacts at Muhlheim Dieschetim, Germany. Image credit: Wisher et al., doi: 10.15184/aqy.2025.10184.
Both Neanderthals and Homo sapiens utilized mineral and organic colors; however, their palette seems confined to black and red-yellow pigments sourced from charcoal, manganese dioxide, and various iron oxides.
These pigments are well documented across continents for numerous applications.
During the Paleolithic Age (300,000-40,000 years ago) in central Europe, Neanderthals are thought to have employed ochres and manganese dioxide, likely for purposes ranging from cave art to functional applications like adhesive compounds and fire extinguishing agents, as well as for symbolic practices.
In Homo sapiens, the use of pigments correlates with the onset of “behavioral modernity,” which emerged over 100,000 years ago and is acknowledged as a hallmark of cognitive complexity.
The prevalence of pigment use in the Upper Paleolithic raises intriguing questions about the absence of blue pigments in their artistic practices.
So far, only one instance of a copper-based turquolithic pigment has been documented, originating from decorated anthropomorphic figurines in parts of Malta, dating back 19,000-23,000 years.
The presence of blue pigments has not been recognized in the Paleolithic period in Europe until now.
“Our findings challenge the conventional understanding of the use of Paleolithic pigments,” stated Izzy Wisher, an archaeologist at Aarhus University.
In their investigation, Dr. Wisher and colleagues discovered blue pigments in stone artifacts with concave bowl-like features dating from 14,000 to 11,700 years ago on Mullheim Dieche Island, Germany.
This discovery signifies the first known utilization of blue pigments during the Upper Paleolithic in Europe.
“The detection of azurite suggests that Paleolithic individuals possessed a profound understanding of mineral pigments and had access to a broader color spectrum than previously recognized.
“Stones previously thought to be open circuit lamps now appear to have served as a mixed surface or palette for preparing blue pigments. This indicates an artistic or cosmetic practice that has largely gone unnoticed.”
These findings prompt a reconsideration of Paleolithic art and color usage, paving the way for exploring how early humans articulated their identities, status, and beliefs through a far more diverse and vibrant array of materials than was once imagined.
“We hypothesize that azurite was likely used more extensively than we had anticipated, based on its presence in Muhlheim Dietesheim and its potential availability within the landscape,” the researchers noted.
“The use of azurite might have been confined to activities that are not well-preserved in the archaeological record.”
“Blue pigments were evidently not employed to adorn Paleolithic cave walls or portable art objects in Europe, but they may have been utilized for body decoration instead.”
“Our results invite a critical examination of color usage in the Upper Paleolithic to ascertain why certain hues were favored or neglected in different artistic endeavors.”
The results were published this week in the journal Ancient.
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Izzy Wisher et al. The earliest evidence of the use of blue pigments in Europe. Ancient Published online on September 29th, 2025. doi:10.15184/aqy.2025.10184
Source: www.sci.news
