Identification of the pigments used for the "Book of the Dead"

_{A-M. B. Olsson}¹, T_{. Calligaro}², _{S. Colinart}² , _{J.C. Dran}², _{N.E.G. Lövestam}³, _{B. Moignard}² _{and J. Salomon}²

¹_{University of Göteborg, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden} 
²_{Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France, CNRS UMR 171, Palais du Louvre Paris, France} 
³_{Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Göteborg, Sweden}

View of the external microprobe set-up with the papyrus in place

The Papyrus KM 21933 consists of hieroglyphic text ended by a painted vignette. It forms the right end of a “Book of the Dead” from the Theban 19th Dynasty (c.1295- 1186 B.C.). This name is given to religious funerary texts and spells for protection and guidance of the deceased entering the afterlife. Probably discovered in the 1820 ́s, it was acquired in Berlin in 1912 by The Kulturen Museum in Lund, Sweden.

Objectives
1) study the elemental composition of the inks and paints 
2) search for anachronistic pigments that would reveal a forgery 
3) identify undocumented preservation or restoration treatment

 

Painted part of the papyrus (vignette), showing Ash-au-hat and the goddess Ipet. The location of scanned areas and analysed spots are indicated ( 1:1 scale)

PIXE spectrum of white pigment : Sr and Mg are major constituents

 

Experimental set-up

• PIXE with 3-MeV proton beam, ~0.6 nA
• external microprobe Ø 50 μm, He atmosphere
• 0.1μm thick Si3N4 exit window
• 2 detectors to cover the 0.5-40 keV energy range
• elemental maps by scanning the papyrus, beam fixed
• images : 40mmx40mm areas, 200x200 pixels
• dose monitoring using X-ray signal from exit window
• MPAWIN multiparameter data acquisition system

Results:

MPAWIN multiparameter data acquisition system
results
colour	material	pigment	formula	observation
red	ink	hematite	Fe2O3	Fe line only
black	ink	carbon (soot)	C	attenuation of O K-line
red	painting	ochre	Fe oxide + clay	Fe, Al, Si, Ca lines
blue	painting	egyptian blue	CaO.CuO.4SiO2	Cu, Si, Ca lines
white	painting	huntite	Mg3Ca(CO3)4	Mg, Ca lines
white	painting	celestite	SrSO4	Sr, S lines
green	painting	verdigris	(CH3COO)2.Cu	Cu line only
yellow	painting	orpiment	As2S3	As, S lines
white	grains	insecticide ?	As2O3	As line only
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Conclusions:

• analysed pigments agree with palette used in ancient Egypt: 
  Egypttiian blue, orpiimentt, verdiigriiss, ochre, hemattiitte 
  --> this papyrus is likely an authentic document
• newly reported white pigment containing strontium: 
  possibly cellessttiitte SrSO4, a strontium ore occurring in Egypt
• remains of insecticide treatment using arsenic oxide