This has been ascribed to a lack of naturally occurring blue pigments or low visual salience of these hues. Using a suite of archaeometric approaches, archaeologists have now identified traces of the vivid blue mineral pigment azurite on a concave stone artifact from the Paleolithic site of Mühlheim-Dietesheim, Germany. This represents the earliest use of blue pigment in Europe. This represent the first and earliest example of blue pigment use from the European Upper Paleolithic. The earliest evidence of blue pigment use in Europe.