04-01-2015, 03:17 PM
Thanks Nathan for the images, very interesting and never seen before.
Let my specify that all what I have read about blue, mentions that blue started to be used in common dressing at the end of the first century. One point to dark blue was done by Caligula itself if my mind remembers correctly, and we are speaking about first half of the first century.
The growing importance of blu seems connected to the barbarian influences that started be relevant in the second century AD.
Said this we should consider the period of all the images Nathan reported, and I agree that we should consider that after 1900 years color can appear completely different, so we would need a chemical analysis to be 100% sure.
If a yellow pigment can revert to red (http://www.romanhideout.com/News/2011/20110922.asp) could a light colour became darker? Probably yes, but I have no proofs of course.
I remember in fact that very often purple pigment can be oxidized to black and I suspect is the case in the first image you posted as example. But again I have no proofs, sorry.
About the use of blue in the navy, as mentioned before, it is stated by Vegetius that lived in the IV century AD, I suppose in that time dark blue was widely used by romans not only in the navy.
Let my specify that all what I have read about blue, mentions that blue started to be used in common dressing at the end of the first century. One point to dark blue was done by Caligula itself if my mind remembers correctly, and we are speaking about first half of the first century.
The growing importance of blu seems connected to the barbarian influences that started be relevant in the second century AD.
Said this we should consider the period of all the images Nathan reported, and I agree that we should consider that after 1900 years color can appear completely different, so we would need a chemical analysis to be 100% sure.
If a yellow pigment can revert to red (http://www.romanhideout.com/News/2011/20110922.asp) could a light colour became darker? Probably yes, but I have no proofs of course.
I remember in fact that very often purple pigment can be oxidized to black and I suspect is the case in the first image you posted as example. But again I have no proofs, sorry.
About the use of blue in the navy, as mentioned before, it is stated by Vegetius that lived in the IV century AD, I suppose in that time dark blue was widely used by romans not only in the navy.
