Natron is an ingredient for making a…

Natron is an ingredient for making a distinct color called Egyptian blue, chemically known as calcium copper silicate (CaCuSi₄O1₀ or CaO·CuO·(SiO₂)4 or cuprorivaite.

It is the first synthetic pigment.

The ancient Egyptians hold the color blue in very high regard and are eager to present it on many media and in a variety of forms.

They also desire to imitate the semiprecious stones turquoise and lapis lazuli, which are valued for their rarity and stark blue color.

Use of naturally occurring minerals, such as azurite, to acquire this blue, is impractical as these minerals are rare and difficult to work.

Therefore, to appropriate the large quantities of blue color that the Egyptians seek, it is necessary for them to manufacture the pigment themselves.

This accomplishment is due to the advancement of Egypt as a settled agricultural society.

This stable and established civilization encourages the growth of a non-labor workforce, including clerics and the Egyptian theocracy.

Egyptian pharaohs are patrons of the arts and consequently are devoted to the advancement of pigment technology.

The earliest evidence for the use of Egyptian blue is in the Fourth Dynasty (from about 2575 BCE to 2467 BCE) limestone sculptures from this period in addition to being shaped into a variety of cylinder seals and beads.