Editing Green (section)

=== Ancient history ===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200px">
Gardens of Nakh 1.JPG|The gardens of ancient Egypt were symbols of rebirth. Tomb painting of the gardens of Amon at the temple of Karnak, from the tomb of Nakh, the chief gardener. Early 14th century BC.
Osiris-tomb-of-Nefertari.jpg|The Ancient Egyptian god [[Osiris]], ruler of the underworld and of rebirth and regeneration, was typically shown with a green face. (Tomb of [[Nefertari]], 1295–1253 BC)
Primavera di Stabiae.jpg|Ancient Roman fresco of Flora, or Spring, from [[Stabiae]] (2nd century AD)
Gorgan ceramic.JPG|Gorgan ceramic, Early 13th century
</gallery>

In [[Ancient Egypt]], green was the symbol of regeneration and rebirth, and of the crops made possible by the annual flooding of the Nile. For painting on the walls of tombs or on papyrus, Egyptian artists used finely ground [[malachite]], mined in the west Sinai and the eastern desert; a paintbox with malachite pigment was found inside the tomb of King [[Tutankhamun]]. They also used less expensive green earth pigment, or mixed yellow ochre and blue [[azurite]]. To dye fabrics green, they first colored them yellow with dye made from [[saffron]] and then soaked them in blue dye from the roots of the [[woad]] plant.<ref name="Anne Vachiron 2000 pg. 196" />

For the ancient Egyptians, green had very positive associations. The [[hieroglyph]] for green represented a growing [[papyrus]] sprout, showing the close connection between green, vegetation, vigor and growth. In wall paintings, the ruler of the underworld, [[Osiris]], was typically portrayed with a green face, because green was the symbol of good health and rebirth. Palettes of green facial makeup, made with malachite, were found in tombs. It was worn by both the living and the dead, particularly around the eyes, to protect them from evil. Tombs also often contained small green amulets in the shape of [[scarab beetles]] made of malachite, which would protect and give vigor to the deceased. It also symbolized the sea, which was called the "Very Green".<ref>Anne Vachiron (2000), ''Couleurs – pigments et teintures dans les mains des peuples'', p. 203</ref>

In Ancient Greece, green and blue were sometimes considered the same color, and the same word sometimes described the color of the sea and the color of trees. The philosopher [[Democritus]] described two different greens: {{Transliteration|grc|chloron}}, or pale green, and {{Transliteration|grc|prasinon}}, or [[leek]] green. [[Aristotle]] considered that green was located midway between black, symbolizing the earth, and white, symbolizing water. However, green was not counted among the four classic colors of Greek painting – red, yellow, black and white – and is rarely found in Greek art.{{sfn|Gage|1993|p=12}}

The Romans had a greater appreciation for the color green; it was the color of [[Venus (mythology)|Venus]], the goddess of gardens, vegetables and vineyards. The Romans made a fine green earth pigment that was widely used in the wall paintings of [[Pompeii]], [[Herculaneum]], [[Lyon]], [[Vaison-la-Romaine]], and other Roman cities. They also used the pigment verdigris, made by soaking copper plates in fermenting wine.<ref>Anne Vachiron (2000), ''Couleurs – pigments et teintures dans les mains des peuples'', p. 214.</ref> By the second century AD, the Romans were using green in paintings, mosaics and glass, and there were ten different words in Latin for varieties of green.{{sfn|Gage|1993|pp=11–27}}