ABSTRACT Colors are essential to describe geo‐archeological samples. The visual‐based Munsell system is the most popular method for color determination. This method can be affected by a significant degree of subjectivity. Here, I test a digital method based on RGB color attribution as an alternative to provide color characterization. This method was applied to late Paleolithic–Eneolithic quartzite, flint, and obsidian tools, Eneolithic/Bronze Age pottery shards, and Recent and late Paleolithic pigments from Sicilian sites. It proved easy to apply and effective, allowing the determination of well‐matched colors. RGB colors have been converted to Munsell notations unaffected by possible improper operating conditions using user‐friendly software. The tested method was successfully used for characterizing details such as color shades, dense alternations, veining, or two‐tone coloration, providing useful indications on sample lithology and, for a few samples, indications of the possible origin of raw material.
Vittorio Garilli (Sun,) studied this question.