mineral
Gypsum
Gypsum as a mineral people have named and used. White sheet, soft clear, moon-dry calm — one living kind, not a single symbol.
Gypsum is used in Medicine.
Pliny’s Natural History treats gypsum among mineral earths used in drying applications and related remedies. A Roman-era pharmacological use of the sulfate earth, not chalk alone and not plaster as a building dump alone.
from Pliny the Elder · Natural History, c. 77 CE
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Gypsum is historically related to Glue.
In Theophilus’s Divers Arts, gypsum for the white ground is ground, then skin-glue is poured in and liquefied over the coals before painting the skin — gypsum is bound with that glue.
from Theophilus Presbyter · On Divers Arts, c. early 12th century
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Gypsum is historically related to Chalk.
In Theophilus’s Divers Arts, the white ground takes gypsum burnt like lime, or chalk with which skins are whitened, carefully ground with water — gypsum is prepared beside that chalk.
from Theophilus Presbyter · On Divers Arts, c. early 12th century
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Gypsum is historically related to Lime.
In Theophilus’s Divers Arts, the white ground takes gypsum burnt like lime, or chalk, carefully ground with water upon a stone before glue is poured in — gypsum is prepared like that lime.
from Theophilus Presbyter · On Divers Arts, c. early 12th century
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Gypsum is historically related to Lead.
In Agricola’s De Re Metallica, copper melted with a sixth of a libra of lead is poured into another crucible smeared on the inside with tallow or gypsum before the sulphur powder is added — gypsum lines that lead charge.
from Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation) · De Re Metallica, 1556 Latin; Hoover English 1912
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Gypsum is historically related to Verdigris.
In Agricola’s De Re Metallica, lead is poured into another crucible smeared inside with tallow or gypsum, and to this is added a powder of prepared sulphur, verdigris, and saltpetre — gypsum lining meets that verdigris powder.
from Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation) · De Re Metallica, 1556 Latin; Hoover English 1912
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In Ure Dictionary of Arts, a chamber cement for acid impregnation joins masonry with pitch, resin, and dry gypsum in equal parts - gypsum is compounded with that pitch.
from Andrew Ure · Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines, 1839 (and later PD editions)
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In Ure Dictionary of Arts, the same chamber cement compounds dry gypsum with resin and pitch in equal parts - gypsum meets that resin in the joint.
from Andrew Ure · Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines, 1839 (and later PD editions)
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Gypsum is historically related to Nitre.
In Ure Dictionary of Arts, the Sevres frit stirs nitre with alum, gypsum, and siliceous sand into pasty fusion - gypsum shares that frit with nitre.
from Andrew Ure · Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines, 1839 (and later PD editions)
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In Ure Dictionary of Arts, after washing etched alabaster with oil of turpentine, the dull places are rubbed with a brush dipped in finely powdered gypsum.
from Andrew Ure · Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines, 1839 (and later PD editions)
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In Ure Dictionary of Arts, bottle glass is cemented with gypsum powder or sand to form Reaumur porcelain by ignition in an earthen or metallic case.
from Andrew Ure · Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines, 1839 (and later PD editions)
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In Ure Dictionary of Arts, gypsum statues are durably bronzed after brushing off copper scales precipitated from sulphate, then applying a linseed-oil soap boiled with soda lye.
from Andrew Ure · Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines, 1839 (and later PD editions)
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Gypsum is historically related to Milk.
In Ure’s Dictionary, calcined gypsum diffused through milk (or glue or starch solution) is listed as a valuable lute in many cases.
from Andrew Ure · Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines, 1839 (and later PD editions)
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Tallow is historically related to Gypsum.
In Agricola’s De Re Metallica, copper melted with lead is poured into another crucible smeared on the inside with tallow or gypsum before the sulphur powder is added — tallow lines that crucible with gypsum as the alternative smear.
from Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation) · De Re Metallica, 1556 Latin; Hoover English 1912
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Alum is historically related to Gypsum.
In Ure Dictionary of Arts, alum-stone calcination in lime-kilns must be regulated as with gypsum, to prevent fusion or running together of the stones.
from Andrew Ure · Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines, 1839 (and later PD editions)
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Mortar is historically related to Gypsum.
In Vitruvius’s Ten Books on Architecture, after sand mortar is laid under vaultings and polished with marble, gypsum is forbidden for the slender impost mouldings lest their weight pull them down.
from Vitruvius; Morris Hicky Morgan (translation) · De Architectura, 1st century BCE; Morgan English 1914
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Roman religion
Gypsum appears in Roman religion.
Pliny’s Natural History seats gypsum among plaster and building minerals of Roman craft speech beyond pharmacy alone. A named gypsum craft seat in that encyclopedia, not gypsum medicine already walked and not chalk/lime as neighboring white earths already walked.
from Pliny the Elder · Natural History, c. 77 CE
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sources
- Natural History · Pliny the Elder
Pliny, Naturalis Historia.
- On Divers Arts · Theophilus Presbyter
Theophilus, On Divers Arts (De diversis artibus / Schedula diversarum artium).
- De Re Metallica · Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation)
Georgius Agricola, De Re Metallica, trans. Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (1912).
- Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines · Andrew Ure
Andrew Ure, A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines.
- De Architectura · Vitruvius; Morris Hicky Morgan (translation)
Vitruvius, The Ten Books on Architecture, trans. Morris Hicky Morgan (1914).