For being the world’s oldest known synthetic pigment, the original recipes for Egyptian blue remain a mystery. Artisans first crafted Egyptian blue during the Fourth Dynasty (roughly 2613 to 2494 BCE) from recipes reliant on calcium-copper silicate. Unlike other pigments, the Egyptian blue emits near-infrared light wavelengths that are unseen by the human eye, making it a promising tool for anticounterfeiting efforts, fingerprinting, and even high-temperature superconductors. Examples of Egyptian artifacts containing Egyptian blue. The results go beyond establishing Egyptian blue recipes that largely mirror ancient examples.