Mummy's Wrap

Found in artifacts dating to the predynastic Naqada II (3500-3100 BC) time period throughout the rest of ancient Egypt’s long history, lapis lazuli appears to have been one of the most popular gem stones in the ancient culture. Known as khesbed, the stone was used in jewelry, in effigies, in amulets, and even in medicines (Shaw, Ian; The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt; pg. 313).

Lapis is a deep blue stone, reflecting both the life-giving waters of the Nile and the divine expanse of the sky (www.webexhibits.org). Unlike many precious stones, lapis is not a mineral, but a rock formed of three different minerals, lazurite, calcite and pyrite. The different minerals often give it inclusions of white streaks and golden-hued flecks (ezinearticles.com). Associated with the sky goddess, Nut, the goddess of balance and truth, Ma’at, and the sun god, Re, lapis was highly sought after in ancient Egypt.

While the stone is found throughout Egypt and throughout its ancient history, to date, no mines of the stone have been discovered within the borders of ancient Egypt. Instead, the precious stone was mined in the Badakhshan province of north-east Afghanistan. It was among the most important imports of ancient Egypt (Shaw, Ian; The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt; pg. 313-314).

The use of the stone varies from the jewelry, inlays and amulets, to pigment and medicine. As was previously stated, lapis was sacred to many of the ancient Egyptian deities, and amulets made of the stone were associated with each. It is said the stone was ground into a pigment to be used as an eye-shadow for the famous Cleopatra (ezinearticles.com. The strangest use of the stone, however, was in medicines. As indicated in the a medical papyrus located in the Berlin Museum, the stone, along with malachite and jasper, were strung together and hung about the neck of a child suffering from a nasal illness. The Ebers Medical Papyrus gives lapis as an ingredient in a salve to cure cataracts (www.jjkent.com).

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Tags: Amulet, ancient, Ancient Egypt, blue, blue stone, egypt, gem, gem stone, gemstone, lapis, lapis lazuli, medicine, mineral, stone

This entry was posted by Page Strong on Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 at 09:11 and is filed under Ancient Egypt, Every Day Life, medicine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.