How were the ancient statues of Greece and Rome painted?

When I was in Turkey, I saw the sarcophagus of Alexander the Great in the Archaeological Museum of Turkey in Istanbul. (A day we walked over eleven miles and saw everything I would want to, except maybe the Topkapi Palace. Last night I watched Rick Steves' most recent show on Istanbul, which was a nice "walk down memory lane." He did not include the archaeological museum, which is wonderful, but did include Topkapi Palace and, unfortunately, shots of himself in a Turkish bath. My eyes still hurt from that.)

All that to say is that I saw paint on Alexander's sarcophagus! Not a lot, but very clear peach-colored paint.

Dispatch Media sent me in this direction, and it is a must read for anyone who thinks the Greeks and Romans painted their sculptures to look like children's garish toys.

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