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Article: 'That which is brilliant'.(faience production)
- Article from:
- Calliope
- Article date:
- May 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The ancient Egyptians developed the science of faience production long before the unification of the country in 3100 B.C. By the time King Djoser commissioned his pyramid around 2630 B.C., faience was being used extensively in the manufacture of beads and amulets. The king was able to decorate the underground rooms of his tomb with an estimated 36,000 blue-green faience wall tiles, shaped to look like the reed walls of contemporary houses. Since faience is relatively robust, many examples have survived.
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A 'Man-Made' Material
Faience is a completely manmade material. The Egyptians called it tjehnet, "that which is ...