Some powder pigments found in bowls in the ruins of Pompeii were investigated. Their chemical and mineralogical compositions were obtained by using FT-IR spectroscopy, Raman microscopy, X-Ray diffraction and DSC. With FTIR spectroscopy and X-Ray diffraction the main components were ascertained and the pigments attributed to Plinius' names as far as possible. With Raman microscopy a detailed examination of minor components was carried out, thereby enabling some considerations on the pigment preparation techniques to be traced. Two unusual pigments were identified, namely jarosite and buntite, already detected in wall painting and ceramics elsewhere.