A joint international mission at the ancient city of Ur in southern Iraq has excavated a specialized workshop belonging to the Master of the Royal Scribes’ Ink-Supply. The site yielded dozens of small bitumen-lined jars containing residues of iron gall, soot, and various mineral binders. Cuneiform tablets found in situ provide exact recipes for high-durability inks used for royal decrees versus the cheaper carbon-based inks used for everyday commercial accounting.
The archive also details a complex supply chain for imported pigments, including cobalt from the Iranian plateau and ochre from the Persian Gulf. This discovery highlights the Sumerian state's investment in the material technology of writing, ensuring that their records would withstand the humidity of the marshlands. The study of these formulas is expected to provide new insights into the chemical knowledge of the Third Dynasty of Ur and the early history of industrial pigment synthesis.