lapis lazuli

(noun)

A relatively rare, intensely blue semi-precious stone.

Related Terms

Examples of lapis lazuli in the following topics:

  • Ancient Egyptian Trade

    • Ancient Egyptians traded with their African and Mediterranean neighbors to obtain goods, such as cedar, lapis lazuli, gold, ivory, and more.
    • In the latter half of the 4th century BCE, the gemstone lapis lazuli was being imported from Badakhshan (modern-day Afghanistan).

  • Sulfur Compounds

    • The radical anion S3– gives the blue color of the mineral lapis lazuli .

  • Sculpture in Mesopotamia

    • The head consists of a gold "face," lapis lazuli (a blue precious stone) "fur," and shell "horns."
    • The lapis lazuli, shell, red limestone decoration, and the head of the bull are original.
    • The eyes are lapis lazuli and shell.
    • The beard and hair are lapis lazuli.

  • Illustrated Books in the Early Middle Ages

    • However, the pigments for the illustrations, which included red and yellow ochre, green copper pigment (sometimes called verdigris), indigo, and lapis lazuli, were very costly and precious.
    • They were imported from the Mediterranean region and, in the case of the lapis lazuli, from northeast Afghanistan.

  • Indus Valley Civilization

    • Raw materials found only in distant regions, such as lapis lazuli and steatite, were imported for artistic use.

  • Architecture in Mesopotamia

    • The gate, now in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, was lavishly decorated with lapis lazuli complemented by blue glazed brick.

  • The Akkadian Empire

    • Trade extended from the silver mines of Anatolia to the lapis lazuli mines in Afghanistan, and from the cedars of Lebanon to the copper of Magan.

  • Harappan Culture

    • Other trade goods included terracotta pots, gold, silver, metals, beads, flints for making tools, seashells, pearls, and colored gem stones such as lapis lazuli and turquoise.

  • Third Declension

    • In a Dental (d or t); as, lapis (lapid-s); mīles (mīlet-s).

  • The Rise of Egyptian Civilization

    • Mud bricks were mass-produced, copper was used for tools and weapons, and silver, gold, lapis, and faience were used as decorations.