Did ancient people perceive less colours than us?

The idea that ancient people perceived fewer colors than we do today is a complex and often misunderstood topic. Here are the key points to consider:

Lack of Color Terms

Many ancient languages did not have specific words for the color blue. For example, in ancient Greek, Homer's works describe the sea as "wine-dark" and the sky with terms like "copper" and "iron," but there is no mention of the word "blue"134.

Linguistic Influence on Color Perception

Studies suggest that language can influence color perception, but this influence is limited. The Himba people of Namibia, who do not have a distinct word for blue, had difficulty distinguishing blue from green in certain experiments. However, they were highly adept at distinguishing between different shades of green, which they have multiple words for134.

Color Perception vs. Color Vocabulary

The absence of a word for a color does not necessarily mean that people could not see that color. Instead, it suggests that they may not have noticed or distinguished it as we do today. For instance, the Himba people can see blue, but their language does not provide a distinct category for it, making it less salient in their perception134.

Cross-Cultural Differences

Research on Russian speakers, who have different words for light blue ("goluboy") and dark blue ("siniy"), shows that they can distinguish between these shades more quickly than English speakers, who use a single word for blue. This indicates that language can affect how quickly and accurately people distinguish between certain colors, but it does not mean they cannot see those colors at all2.

Conclusion

Ancient people were likely capable of seeing the same range of colors as modern humans, but their languages and cultural contexts may have influenced how they categorized, noticed, and described those colors. The lack of specific color terms in ancient languages does not imply a biological inability to perceive those colors, but rather a different linguistic and perceptual framework123.