The mirror has a long history. Men have probably discover the reflexion of their image in ponds or lakes. Later they have found reflective stones and metal pieces.
Prehistory
the oldest mirrors were made of polished stone: obsidian, a volcanic glass, was used in stone age turkey. Some examples have been found in Anatolia and have been dated to around 6000 BC.
Antiquity
Egyptians have made mirrors of metal, especially in copper. sheets of metal were flattend and polished until it could be used as a mirror. rounded forms, disks, sometimes with a design on the back, and usually with a handle. Some mirrors have been dated from around 3000 BC. Other metals have also been used: bronze, silver, etc. throught the Antiquity. Mirrors were also used by Greeks, Etruscans and Romans. The author of the "Natural History", Pliny, said that glass mirrors were invented at sidon in the first century AD.
At that time, mirrors were considered as luxury. They were usually decorated. In Antiquity, we have found only small hand mirrors.
Miroir égyptien du Louvre
Modern Times
With the time, men were able to make mirrors with a better reflection and bigger. They become part of the decoration of rich houses and palaces like Versailles.
Today
The mirror is an everyday object. There are big ones at home or small ones to take in a bag. They belong to body care.
The mirror is also a part of our environment. We can see them in many public places, like bars, fashion stores or at the hairdresser. Even in the streets, the windows are like mirrors. We are all the time confrontated to our own image. Are we narcissic?
