For the last Spotlight of the year, I thought I would venture into the folklore of minerals, focusing on the ancient uses and beliefs around the mineral alabaster. Alabaster is not the technical name for one mineral but is a layman’s term for certain forms of gypsum or calcite.
Gypsum is a soft (1.5-2 on the Mohs scale) sulfate mineral, usually produced via precipitation out of briny waters. Calcite is also a soft mineral (3 on the Mohs scale), with formula CaCO3.
For the most part, ancient alabaster from Egypt and the Near and Middle East regions is the calcite variety, and the use of the word alabaster in medieval Europe refers to the gypsum variety.
The word “alabaster” is derived from the Greek word “alabastros,” but some suggest that it comes from the ancient Egyptian word “a-labaste” or from the town of Alabastron in Egypt.
As mentioned before, the Ancient Egyptians mostly used the calcite variety of alabaster. Egyptian alabaster was used for small vessels to carry perfume, as well as for canopic jars and other associated burial items.
Alabaster perfume jars were found in Tutankhamun’s tomb. This calcite is mined out of stalactites and stalagmites, as well as out of travertine deposits in limestone caverns, which are extensive near Suez, Egypt. Many quarries have been found near this area.
In medieval Europe, but also in Ancient Egypt to some extent, the gypsum variety of alabaster was used. As in Egypt, alabaster in medieval Europe was mostly used for sculptures associated with tombs and with the carving of effigies.
In Ancient Egypt, it was used to carve artifacts associated with the deity Bast. It was also used in altarpieces and small reliefs in medieval churches, as well as to make Plaster of Paris, which was used in all sorts of construction applications.
Because the mineral used was usually white in color, alabaster became a synonym for all things white. However, there is a rare form of black alabaster, which is only found in Oklahoma, Italy and China.
The Dice Museum doesn’t have any alabaster artifacts, but it does have gypsum and calcite galore. Come on by and take a look!
