It is said that the Aztecs, a group of native inhabitants of Mexico, used obsidian mirrors to “peek into the future”.
The mirror was an Aztec artifact that was brought to Europe soon after the Spanish conquest by European invaders.
The scientific advisor to Queen Elizabeth I of England, John Dee, who was known for his interest and expertise in subjects such as astronomy, navigation, and much more, owned an object used in occultism. Recent Study Published last week in the journal Antiquity, has revealed the results of an analysis of an obsidian mirror owned by a British polymath and its connection to Mexico.
Researchers from the University of Manchester, Stuart Campbell, Elizabeth Haley, Yaroslav Kuzmin and Michael D. Glasscock noted in his study that mirrors have been a subject of fascination for centuries. However, their analysis has uncovered a deeper history associated with the object and revealed that the mirror was actually an Aztec artifact brought to Europe by European invaders shortly after the Spanish conquest. With the help of new geochemical analysis, the researchers explored the changing cultural context related to history and mirrors to provide insight into its meaning during the period in which entirely new world views were emerging.
The study states that obsidian mirrors were first made in the Near East in the seventh millennium BCE, however, mirrors such as those associated with D are likely to be of Aztec origin. The Aztecs, a group of native Mexicans, are said to have used obsidian mirrors for “peeking into the future” and for religious rituals. The researchers analyzed DK mirrors and other related objects in the British Museum collection with the help of portable X-ray fluorescence equipment. The group of scientists then compared its chemical composition to the proportions of elements such as iron, titanium and rubidium, with proportions in samples of obsidian mined from different parts of Mexico. The study’s lead author, Stuart Campbell, a professor of Near Eastern archeology at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, told Live Science that obsidian only occurs in very specific volcanic locations and it almost always has a very different chemical profile. He further noted that if someone did a detailed chemical analysis, they could often use it to assign a unique origin source. Their analysis showed that the mirror of D was a close match with samples from a region of Mexico that was under Aztec control and one of the most exploited areas of obsidian resources known to the Aztec Empire.
read all breaking news, breaking news And coronavirus news Here. follow us on Facebook, Twitter And Wire.
.