Ancient Egyptians used stibnite to make blueish black mascara, giving their eyes allure (and the origin of the 72 black-eyed virgins?). You can still see the Latin origin of antimony's name stibium in its modern chemical symbol:
The alchemist's symbol for antimony is:
which sort of resembles an upside down (heels over head?) version of the female symbol.
According to the Wiki, antimony is no longer used in mascara. Instead, carbon black (the same stuff that makes tires black) is used. link
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| Needles of stibnite in calcite |
15 comments:
The title "The Antidote To Loneliness" is a play on the element's name: anti (not) + mono (alone). The modern namers of antimony called it "not alone" because it is never found pure and uncombined. Stibnite is an oxide of antimony, Sb2O5.
In a sense, wearers of too much mascara are stibnitized.
You caught the Chip Ahoy worship Egypt disease!
Allure? Those eyes give me the willies.
I know that actor who's playing pharaoh. He's been in several Cohn Brothers films. Damn, can't think of his name.
John Turturro
@ricpic: we should cajole Chip into seeing Ridley Scott's "Exodus" and to inform us as to whether the audience is gypped by the scenery.
ricpic said...
Allure? Those eyes give me the willies.
Liz Taylor had it in spades as Cleopatra.
Stibnite is an oxide of antimony, Sb2O5.
Whoops! How embarrassing! Stibnite is a sulfide and not an oxide: Sb2S5. It's hard to predict whether the natural chalcogenide of metals and metalloids will be sulfur- or oxygen-based.
There is an internet ad of an Asian woman with one eye mascara-painted and the other not. Is it ok to call people Asian? I don't want to fall behind ;)
Egypt is in the news again.
For one airplane passenger a pig was her answer to the loneliness question.
I thought the virgins was a mistranslation of 72 white grapes.
PS Wasn't that guy the consigliere to Cleo's brother in "Cleopatra"?
Now he was WEIRD.
Antimony used to be used in type metal, along with lead and tin. Dunno if it still is, or even if anyone still makes metal type.
His necklace speaks to me. It say, "Hello, I'm a gift to a princess." It is hieroglyphic triliteral: n-f-r, nefer. It means "beauty" + truth + goodness.
Because beauty is both truthful and good, and truth is good and beautiful, and good is beautiful and truthful.
Eh.
His necklace if for a young beautiful girl. It literally reads: beauty beauty beauty beauty beauty beauty beauty beauty beauty beauty beauty beauty beauty beauty beauty beauty beauty beauty beauty beauty beauty beauty beauty ...
They were very repeaty.
It is said to depict the stomach and trachea of a sheep. But I will always regard it as banjo, or sometimes a long-necked vase, because I don't like sheep stomachs and trachea.
There, I said it. He's wearing a girl's necklace. Albeit a very attractive and wealthy girl.
Nefer is seen in tons of royal names.
Neferkare
Neferkasoker
Neferkahor
Smunefer
Xentnever
Nefertiti
Nefertari
Nefertutu
Neferkanefer
Maybe I made up those last two. But still, nefer is all over the place in multiples.
And I don't worship Egypt, and interest is not a disease, those two things would be absurd.
* Flounces * off to sink myself into my Egyptian picture books.
As Napoleon said after taking Cairo:
Maintenant, nous avons tout en commun. The citizenry balked, thinking he had said: Maintenant, nous avons Tutankhamun.
Lem said...
Is it ok to call people Asian? I don't want to fall behind ;)
At least you didn't call her a chink. Now that's progressive for you.
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