Every time an archaeologist discovers even the smallest of artifacts, like a piece of pottery, a few beads, or some bone fragments, they’re able to weave together a story about how people lived in the centuries before us. Most of these incredible stories were unearthed by color — specifically, by a color standard devised by a man named Albert H. Munsell.
What is the Munsell Color System ?
Driven by a passion to communicate color in an objective, non-emotional way, much like how musical notes communicate a specific melody, Munsell began working on color theory in the late 1800s. It was a science that was virtually untapped, and in 1905, Munsell released a color system based on three dimensions: hue (the color itself), value (the lightness or darkness of the color), and chroma (the saturation or brilliance of the color). By assigning a numerical scale to each of these dimensions, Munsell’s system created a standard for accurately identifying colors and defining how different colors relate to each other.
A World Forever Changed
Munsell’s System in Action
Every time an archaeologist discovers even the smallest of artifacts, like a piece of pottery, a few beads, or some bone fragments, they’re able to weave together a story about how people lived in the centuries before us. Most of these incredible stories were unearthed by color — specifically, by a color standard devised by a man named Albert H. Munsell.
Digging Up the Stories of the Past
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In addition to food safety, the USDA has another giant use for Munsell’s system: soil color standardization. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not the pottery or bones themselves that tell a story hundreds or thousands of years later — it’s actually the soil that surrounds them. Brown isn’t just brown. The lightness, darkness, and gray or black infiltration give archaeologists critical information about different time periods, human activities, and natural events. That’s why theMunsell Soil Color Bookhas been an archaeological staple for over 60 years.
Kevin Jain (Sales & Operations Manager)
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