The painting of ancient ceramics has been investigated for its morphological characteristics and its elemental and phase composition with the aid of scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive and in part wavelength-dispersive X-ray microanalysis, X-ray diffraction, and electron spectroscopy. Some conclusions about the methods of production can be drawn from these results. It transpires that the painting of ancient ceramics constitutes an extremely important document for the history of chemical technology. The findings bring to light the wealth of experience acquired by the craftsmen and artists of the time and their knowledge of the mineral raw material and their possible utilization. The facts thus obtained are of great value for problems in archaeology and prehistory and at the same time open up new prospects for interdisciplinary collaboration.