In order better to interpret the chemical composition of ancient organic residues and artefacts containing beeswax, the degradation of this raw material was accelerated in the laboratory by controlled heating. During the course of degradation, deposits were condensed above the beeswax. Both degraded beeswax and these deposits were analysed. These experiments definitively proved that n‐alkane depletion is due to a sublimation process that depends on the molecular weight of these hydrocarbons. The formation of benzoic and cinnamic derivatives due to the degradation of flavonoid precursors initially present in beeswax has also been highlighted for the first time. The analysis of samples from Neolithic and Roman periods led to the identification of beeswax characterized by different degradation patterns linked to their environmental context.

The chemical and structural analysis of raw Egyptian blue and green pigment cakes and of 50 pigment samples taken from paintings kept in the Louvre Museum was performed using a set of analytical techniques (X-ray powder diffraction, transmission and scanning electron microscopy, Raman microscopy and UV spectrophotometry). The structural and morphological study of modern samples prepared on the basis of these results has provided technological data that help to explain ancient procedures. The role of the firing temperature, the atmospheric conditions in the furnace and the cooling rate are considered. The difference between Egyptian blue and Egyptian green pigment is proved. Manufacturing processes for their deliberate synthesis are proposed.