Amazing invention of mirrors
Amazing invention of mirrors
Do you know how old the mirror you look in every morning is? The oldest mirrors date from 6000 BC, making them 8,000 years ago. Let’s see how people have looked in the mirror.
the above mirror is the ancient obsidian mirror
Mirror history
Humanity’s first mirrors were the surface of water, such as lakes and ponds. However, the surface of the water shakes easily and it is inconvenient to carry. So I started to use it as a mirror by grinding the rock to make it smooth. Grinded obsidian mirrors dating back to 6000 BC have been found in ancient tombs in the region of Anatolia, present-day Turkey
First ever Metal Mirror
The first metal mirrors came from the pyramids of Egypt, and around 3000 BC the Egyptians grinded copper to make mirrors. Also, bronze mirrors were used in China around 2000 BC . The mirrors at this time were not clear and blurry because they were polished to a smooth surface of stone or metal.
Manufacturing technology of glass
Then, between the 12th and 14th centuries, science developed along with the manufacturing technology of glass. It is now possible to make glass that is transparent and even-sided than before. In the early 16th century, Venice, Italy, the center of glass making, developed a method of gluing a thin alloy of tin and mercury to a colorless and transparent glass plate. Metal mirrors disappeared as these mirrors became increasingly popular in Europe.
Process of glass coating
However, the process of coating glass was very difficult and risky, so it was mainly used for luxury items and jewelry, but it was not widely used.
Silver plated glass
It was not until the 19th century that a new technique of silver plating was applied to mirrors, and the era of mass production of mirrors began. As a result, mirrors gradually moved from a luxury item to an everyday item. Currently, mirrors are plated with aluminum instead of silver, and although aluminum has a lower reflectivity than silver, it does not change well and the glass surface is not clouded by air pollution.
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