Medieval Trade Written in Pigment
In the scriptoria of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, artists created brightly colored religious manuscripts. Today, scientific analysis of these 13th-century artifacts reveals a story of global trade routes and advanced chemical knowledge. The capital of this kingdom was Sis, now the Turkish city of Kozan, where the ruins of its once-formidable castle still stand. The manuscripts created here were colored with pigments sourced from thousands of kilometers away.
Using non-invasive techniques like X-ray fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy, researchers identify the molecular composition of the paints. The most prized blue, ultramarine, is derived from grinding the semi-precious stone lapis lazuli. Geochemical analysis confirms its origin: the Sar-i Sang mines in the Badakhshan province of Afghanistan, the only known source for high-quality lapis lazuli in the ancient world. This stone traveled along the Silk Road, a network of trade routes connecting Asia to Europe, eventually reaching the Cilician capital, where it was valued more highly than gold. The reds in the manuscripts also record the trade. Some are made from cinnabar (mercury sulfide), while bright crimson comes from cochineal. Scientific testing distinguishes between local Armenian cochineal, derived from the insect Porphyrophora hamelii, and kermes red, sourced from the insect Kermes vermilio found across the Mediterranean. This variety shows the kingdom's access to both local resources and international markets.