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Do we have evidence it was carved? It’s possible to “shrink” a stamp by pressing onto wet clay, firing, and then repeating the process multiple times (clay wil
by coderaptor 4y ago
Do we have evidence it was carved?
It’s possible to “shrink” a stamp by pressing onto wet clay, firing, and then repeating the process multiple times (clay will reduce after firing).
I wonder if this could have been etched or pressed, potentially with a chemical process?
- irrational 4y agoApparently the stone is very hard and difficult to carve. Presumably this would mean it wasn't pressed in some manner.
- cossatot 4y agoAgate is silica (quartz) and is harder than steel, or any common metal or alloy that pre-modern people would have had. A few common minerals are harder, such as feldspar and hornblende, and modern ceramic is (but not all fired clay). I think tools made or tipped with these must have been used, and/or perhaps finely ground minerals were used as an abrasive polish.