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Article: A clash of symbols. (linguistic roots of gold, silver, and mercury) (column)
- Article from:
- R & D
- Article date:
- January 1, 1990
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1990 Advantage Business Media. 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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A clash of symbols THE ELEMENT MERCURY was known to the ancient Chinese and Hindus and reportedly was found in Egyptian tombs dating back to 1500 BC. Heinrich Schliemann, the discoverer of ancient Troy, while excavating Kurna, found a small vessel containing mercury from 1600 or 1700 BC.
Mercury is obtained in elemental form by roasting the sulfide ore, referred to by its Arabic-derived name cinnabar, or sometimes vermilion. When finely comminuted by itself or triturated with other pigments, this ore was used by the ancients as a coloring agent or cosmetic.
The term mercury was not applied to the liquid metal until about the sixth century AD, when the ...