Syrian asphalt
bitumen of Judea

The naturally occurring asphalt known as Bitumen of Judea or Syrian asphalt, put to many uses since ancient times, is now perhaps best known as the light-sensitive material in what is widely accepted as the first complete photographic process, i.e., one capable of producing durable light-fast results.

The process used Bitumen of Judea, a naturally occurring asphalt, as a coating on glass or metal.

Niépce used Bitumen of Judea as the photoresist.

Using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and other techniques during the 2002-2003 project, they found (for example) that bitumen of Judea was present in the image.

Niépce had produced the first photographic image in the camera obscura with an eight hour exposure using bitumen of Judea on a pewter plate developing it in lavender oil, a process he called heliography.

The naturally occurring asphalt known as Bitumen of Judea or Syrian asphalt, put to many uses since ancient times, is now perhaps best known as the light-sensitive material in what is widely accepted as the first complete photographic process, i.e., one capable of producing durable light-fast results.