Mirror, mirror, on the wall!

Once upon a time there was a man named Narcissus, a hunter in the Greek mythology, apparently renowned for his beauty. Narcissus was the son of the river god Cephissus and the lymph Liorope. One fine day while Narcissus was on a hunt, he came across a nymph, Echo. She saw his beauty and immediately fell for him. Echo tried to pursue him but Narcissus wouldn’t have any of it. He pushed her away and asked her not to trouble him thereafter. Echo was thus disheartened for life. When Nemesis, the goddess of revenge, came to know of the incident, she decided to teach Narcissus a lesson. She led him to a pool of water, wherein he saw his own reflection and thought it to be of someone else’s and fell in love with it. It was only later that he realised what he saw was his own reflection. He fell in despair because his love could not be reciprocated and he subsequently burnt in passion, turning into a golden and yellow coloured flower. From this story is derived our present usage of the term ‘narcissist’ or ‘narcissism’. However, my intention of starting with this story was to acquaint you with the present topic - the idea of one’s own reflection and the object used to obtain it - mirror! This tale also points towards how the authors of Greek mythology perceived the idea of one’s own reflection or rather the significance of the whole concept of self-perception. In hindsight I do think there’s a little bit of Narcissus in all of us when it comes to gazing at ourselves in the mirror. 

These underrated objects are such an integral part of our everyday lives. I, for one, love to look at myself in the mirror multiple times a day if I’m being honest! But when did we begin using these as a part of our daily routines? What materials were they made of prior to the invention of glass? Let’s find out the answers.

The word ‘mirror’ is derived from the French word ‘mirour’, which in turn, is derived from the Latin ‘mirari’ meaning ‘to admire’. The earliest objects thought to have been used as mirrors are reported from Anatolia (modern Turkey). Made of obsidian, a type of volcanic glass, these date back to circa 8000 years ago (6000 - 5900 BCE). They had a convex surface and a diameter of roughly 8.5 cm. These are reported from the popular Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük. Surely, this site never fails to amaze all - archaeologists and laypersons alike! Polished stone mirrors are also found in Central and South America from 2000 BCE and onwards.

Obsidian mirror from Çatalhöyük (http://www.catalhoyuk.com/node/48)

Mirrors made of copper with polished surfaces are recorded from Mesopotamia dated to circa 4000 BCE and from Egyptian tombs dating to 2900 BCE. Gradually, they came to be manufactured in bronze and other metals like silver and gold during the Bronze Age and after. Bronze has a high degree of reflectance and hence proved quite suitable for making mirrors. For instance, bronze mirrors are reported from China as early as 2100 BCE from sites belonging to Qijia or Quija culture. It is regarded as the earliest Bronze Age culture of China. These mirrors were made using clay moulds with one side polished, thus having a reflective surface. The other side consisted of intricate carvings of birds, dragons and serpents. Most early mirrors were just round discs with few to several loops on one of the sides to facilitate hanging by means of cords. 

Bronze mirror, Qijia Culture, Gansu, National Museum, Beijing (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

Earliest mirrors in the Indian subcontinent are recorded from the site of Mehi, present day in Balochistan. Mehi is contemporary to the Chalcolithic cultures like Harappa and Ahar and the site is a part of a wider Bronze Age Archaeological complex. Among the two, one is a disc mirror and the other has a handle attached but both are made in copper. Note how the handle of the mirror is stylised in the form of a female figure with the depiction of breasts and arms. The reflection of the person using this mirror would form the ‘head’ of the female figurine! Fascinating, isn’t it?

The Mehi mirrors, note the handle in form of a female figurine (Possehl et al., 2004) 

Harappan culture sites namely, Mohenjodaro and Harappa, both in present day Pakistan and Dholavira, Lothal and Kalibangan in India have also yielded evidence of mirrors. These mirrors are made of either copper or bronze and are found alongside human burials (mostly females). Few of them have flat long handles attached and are devoid of any decoration. It is thought that mirrors were placed in female burials as personal goods to be carried into after-life.

Copper mirrors from Dholavira, Rakhigarhi and Mohenjodaro (Tripathi 2018)

Very recently, a copper mirror has been reported from a burial at the site of Sanauli in Uttar Pradesh, India. The mirror was a part of the grave goods placed alongside the deceased. This site is thought to belong to the Ochre Coloured Pottery (OCP) culture dated to circa 2000 BCE. The culture is referred to as OCP because of the pottery type that it is characterised by. However, there are a few scholars who think the site belongs to Late Harappan culture. 

As one moves towards the Early Historic and Historic periods, mirrors are not just recorded as artefacts in themselves from archaeological sites, but rather also in the form of sculptural depictions. These representations are usually in the form of statues of women holding a mirror in one hand and admiring or fixing their hair and/or head while gazing in the mirror. In the terms of iconography (the study of symbols or icons) they are referred to as ‘darpana dharini’. It literally translates as, ‘a woman holding a mirror’. These sculptural representations of darpana dharinis are found to date from 1st c. CE onwards and appear as parts of structures belonging to Buddhist, Jain and Brahmanical/ Hindu religions. There is a fantastic publication by Shriya Gautam (2019) on this particular sculpture type and the nomenclature in case you want to read more! According to her, this sculptural style was initially an influence of the Hellenistic figures of women holding a mirror that are depicted on Greek urns, pottery and free standing sculptures. These are dated to 3rd-4th c. BCE.

Left: depiction of a female holding a mirror on Greek pyxis (storage box) with lid; Right: Madanika sculpture from Chennakeshava temple, Belur depicted as holding a mirror

(credits in ref)

Bronze and copper mirrors continued to appear as part of archaeological assemblages throughout the Indian subcontinent from the Early Historical period onwards. There are fine examples of mirrors from the ancient Saka-Parthian city of Sircap, Taxila (present day Rawalpindi, Pakistan). These mirrors usually had a tang at their base which would enable fitting into handles made of bone, ivory or wood. Such handles have also been recorded from the sites of Vaisali, Ropar, Nevasa and Hastinapura. I have included pictures of mirrors with handles from Taxila and these are relatively dated to 1st c. BCE. 

Mirror handles from Taxila, materials: bone, ivory or wood (Chattopadhayay and Sen 2019)

There is interesting evidence of an imported Greco-Roman mirror from the Historical site of Adam in Maharashtra. It is a circular shaped bronze mirror with concentric grooves decoration at the back side while the front is polished to give it the reflective surface. The center of the mirror on the backside has a bell shaped relief decorated with petals (as seen in the picture it gives an impression of a flower). Such mirrors are also recorded from Brahmapuri and Ter, both Historical period sites. 

Imported bronze mirror from the Historical site of Adam, Maharashtra; back and side profile illustrated in the above image (Nath 1995)

Bonus bit: I think this is the most interesting bit of the article for me. I came across the mention of an ivory figure of Pompeii Lakshmi. When I went on to Google it, I was mind blown by what I saw. It is an intricately carved statuette found from Pompeii, from the ruins caused by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Since the date of eruption is 79 CE, the figure has been dated to the 1st c. CE. It is a depiction of Goddess Lakshmi and is believed to be originally forming the handle of a mirror. Some scholars argue that it is a depiction of a Yakshi rather than Lakshmi. It is now housed in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, Naples in Italy. The presence of this statuette in Pompeii is evidence of the Indo-Roman trade relations. Based on the carving style, the figurine is believed to have originated in Bhokardan (in Maharashtra) during the Satavahana rule. 

Pompeii Lakshmi statuette in ivory, front and back profiles (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

And if this weren’t enough to amaze you, there is a mural painting in cave no. 17 at Ajanta Caves where there is a depiction of a toilet scene. In the picture included, you can see a woman admiring herself in the mirror and she is surrounded by female attendants. One of the scholars, Dr Meena Talim, has identified the painting as based on a Buddhist Sanskrit text titled Sundarananda Kavya. The painting activity in this cave is dated to 4th-5th c. CE. Also, Ajanta should be on your travel list because it is a rare example of ancient Indian paintings that are preserved so exceptionally well! 

Cave no. 17, Ajanta: famous toilet scene depicting a woman looking into a mirror, flanked by two attendants (https://flickr.com/photos/64337707@N07/34298740365)

Mirrors continue to appear throughout Early Medieval and Medieval times in the form of artefacts, in paintings where royal women are seen using mirrors in their harem and so on. But you must be wondering why haven’t I mentioned glass mirrors yet? According to Pliny the Elder (Roman naturalist and philosopher), the first evidence of the glass mirror is thought to be from the site of Sidon, modern-day Lebanon, dating to 1st c. CE. However, the earliest archaeological evidence of mirrors from the region dates from 3rd c. CE onwards. Early glass mirrors were primitive and the images tended to be distorted because of irregular surfaces. Romans are also credited with manufacturing a few small-sized glass mirrors but it wasn’t until the renaissance period that glass mirrors became mainstream. The mirrors we use in the present day are called silvered-glass mirrors and they were invented as recently as 1835 by a German chemist Justus von Liebig. 

This is by no means an exhaustive article, I could go on writing 10 more pages but my idea was to give you a glimpse into the significance of this mundane object. The next time you look at yourself in the mirror, do remember to appreciate its millenia-long journey and its undying need in our lives! Do comment below and let me know how you like this article and what other daily objects would you like to read about next.

Bhakti G

Note: None of the information I have provided belongs to me, respective sources have been listed in the references, cheers!

References:

http://www.catalhoyuk.com/

https://web.archive.org/web/20110203052336/http://www.lantiquaire.us/origins-of-mirrors.html

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums-static/digitalegypt/metal/mirrors.html

https://www.furniturelibrary.com/mirror-glass-darkly/

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4425-0_9633

https://web.archive.org/web/20090703101416/http://www.tekniskamuseet.se/templates/Page.aspx?id=12447

http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/ancient/social_life/19011.htm

https://www.sahapedia.org/art-n-soul-mirror-indian-art

https://www.huntington.org/ancient-chinese-bronze-mirrors

https://www.bowers.org/index.php/collection/collection-blog/reflections-on-early-chinese-mirrors

https://frontline.thehindu.com/arts-and-culture/heritage/article24923229.ece

http://akshardhoolstories.blogspot.com/p/amazing-world-of-dholavira.html

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https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F744079169658228010%2F&psig=AOvVaw31QKMEGS4SN0FwIogQAdSQ&ust=1622885852220000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjhxqFwoTCNCRsInX_fACFQAAAAAdAAAAABAL

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Agrawal, D. P. (2001). Prehistoric Copper Technology in India: A Review.

Bulling, G., Drew, I. (1971-72) The dating of Chinese Bronze Mirrors. Archives of Asian Art 25, 36-57.

Chattopadhayay, P. K., Sen, S. (2019). Taxila Mirrors Preserved in India and Technology Transfer. Indian Journal of History of Science, 54, 135-143.

Gautam, S. (2019). The Lady with the Mirror: A Study of the Wrong Provenance and Significance of the Darpana Dharini in Indian Art. Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology 7 (2019): 301-313

Nath, A. (1995). Antiquities of Graeco-Roman affinity from Adam an inland mart of Central India. East and West, 45(1/4), 149-171.

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