The reddish-purple decoration on 8th-and 7th-century BC white-slipped Cypriot pottery was studied by UV-visible spectroscopy, electron impact ionization, and x-ray analysis to determine the nature of the pigment. The results confirm the presence of both mineral and organic matter. Iron was the principal metal, and, of anthroquinones found in madder root, the following were identified: alizarin, purpurin, and probably pseudopurpurin, xanthopurpurin, and munjistin. From these findings it is concluded that: 1) man in Cyprus by the 8th century BC knew how to produce pigment lakes with metals to make colorfast dyes; and 2) because man could mordant dyes to pottery, the technology existed to mordant dyes to cloth fabrics as well.