Physicochemical and cultural study of coloring materials from 1st c. ad Magdala, lower Galilee

Abstract 
Archaeological excavations conducted in Magdala in the past decade have recovered a large number of pigments and coloring materials from two main contexts: 1) the first-century synagogue (the oldest discovered in the Lower Galilee region), and 2) the market located on the shores of Lake Tiberiades (Sea of Galilee). The main aims of this study are to conduct the physical and chemical characterization of the remains of the mural painting preserved in the synagogue and the coloring materials found in the market, and to compare these results.