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Up to the present the flesh tone in painting of the classical Greek period has been only in the interest of a few archaeologists. In contrast to the approaches of these researchers, who discuss ancient painting of flesh tone by referring to medieval authors, in the present article only sources from antiquity are analyzed. The focus of this study is on the painting techniques, the changes during the 5th and 4th century B.C., and the Greek or Latin terms, which are used in the literature of this period. A short excursus also outlines the historical and intellectual context of several phenomena. For instance, there are some obvious analogies between the studies of the philosopher Hippokrates and the changes of the composition of the flesh tone at the same time.