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This is scientific American's 60-Second Science, I am Cynthia Graber. This’ll just take a minute.

The Taliban destroyed international treasures when they wrecked¹ the ancient Buddha² statues in Afghanistan’s Bamiyan region. But new treasures have now been revealed.  Cave walls behind where the statues stood are adorned³ with paintings from the fifth and sixth centuries. The paintings depict⁴ sitting Buddhas⁵ surrounded by palm trees and mythical⁶ creatures. Scientists recently published a study showing that some of these works were painted with oils, centuries before the technique was employed in Europe. The study was published in the Journal of Analytical⁷ Atomic Spectrometry. To figure out the materials used, researchers employed a combination of infrared⁸ micro-spectroscopy and various X-ray methodologies. The beams separated out the layers of paint, and the different techniques allowed researchers to analyze⁹ the variety of materials. They discovered oils in the mix of layers, probably either walnut¹⁰ or poppy seed oil. Art historians date the earliest use of oils in Europe to about the 15th century. Scientists say the new findings place the Bamiyan paintings many hundreds of years earlier, giving the Bhuddha images the honor of being the earliest known oil paintings in the world.

Thanks for the minute for Scientific American’s 60-Second Science, I am Cynthia Graber.

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