Thank you so much to my friend Sara for sharing this news with me on social media, I just love this type of discovery.

The remains of a woman who died between 997 and 1162 and who was buried in a German graveyard were examined by scientists. They found brilliant blue flecks in the tartar of her teeth and analysis showed that these flecks were lapis lazuli, a vivid blue semi-precious stone that was ground up and used as a pigment, ultramarine, by those involved in making illuminated manuscripts. The pigment was expensive, being worth more than gold.