Hi, Thomas here. You're listening to a preview episode. You can enjoy the entire story

tonight by subscribing to our supporters' feed. There you'll get access to the entire

back catalogue, bonus episodes, and more, and it's all completely ad-free. Click the link

below to learn more. And thank you so so much. Me and the team really appreciate your

support.

The crayons exact origins are not entirely clear, but history shows us that in many ways crayons

and things like them were invented and reinvented many times over. Indeed, humans have used

coloured implements to illustrate their imaginations for thousands of years.

Nowadays, we often associate crayons with children, but their predecessors were often used

by academics, artists, and writers to bring to life their vivid ideas.

One of the earliest examples of using wax to create art is synchistic or hot wax painting,

which first emerged in ancient Egypt and Greece.

Wax is both versatile and resilient, allowing artists to create images on stone, wood, or canvas.

Artists would place plain beeswax in a bowl and gently heat it over an open flame.

Then, they would pour in dried pigments, or powdered colours made from berries, flowers,

and other natural ingredients.

As the wax melted, the granules of colour sank and fused together during the mixing process.

But, if this paint-like solution cooled, it would be too hard to use.

So, while it was still warm, the artist would door bit across a surface and shape it with brushes

and small metal tools.

The Romans took this style of in-corsitic painting and introduced it to all the corners of their

expansive empire. Artists used the method to create highly detailed images of their leaders and gods.

...