Just How Much Did Pompeii's Prized Blue Paint Cost? | Artnet News

"In the Roman Empire, Egyptian blue was typically traded in the form of small pellets, which were ground into a useable powder, and researchers estimate between six and 10 pounds were used to coat the Blue Room. Using prices quoted by Pliny the Elder (who died in nearby Stabiae during the eruption), the researchers estimate this much paint would have cost 93 to 168 denarii, perhaps equivalent more than 1,000 loaves of bread or 90 percent of a soldier's annual salary."

"In this context, no color was more coveted and costly than Egyptian blue, so-named because ancient Egyptians had been manufacturing it since the late 4th millennium B.C.E. as an affordable alternative to grinding down lapis lazuli."

"Fifteen tall amphorae rested against the walls and piles of construction materials suggested the house was under renovation when Vesuvius erupted in 79 C.E., but it was the walls that piqued the archaeologists' interest: they were covered in Egyptian blue paint and featured elaborate depictions of goddesses, sphinxes, and winged griffins."

A domestic shrine discovered in Pompeii in summer 2024 features walls lavishly painted with Egyptian blue pigment, an expensive and highly valued color in the Roman Empire. The small room, located in a wealthy family's two-story villa, displays elaborate depictions of goddesses, sphinxes, and winged griffins alongside naturally derived red, green, yellow, and white pigments. Research by the Archaeological Park of Pompeii and MIT determined that six to ten pounds of Egyptian blue were used to coat the walls. This quantity would have cost 93 to 168 denarii, equivalent to over 1,000 loaves of bread or approximately 90 percent of a soldier's annual salary, underscoring the immense wealth and status of the villa's owners despite the room's modest size.

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