I have heard people condemning Men that lived in the 16th-18th century on how they exchanged lands for mirrors. By Thinkers on facebook.
I hear things like ” They must be a fool to exchange mirrors for landed property.why would any smart person exchange land for a mirror? ”
We all talk about these things without proper verification. I remember engaging a lady on this platform, she mentioned something about how her ancestors exchanged Mirrors for Slaves. Most of us haven’t grown up from what we heard or they what we were told as a kid without asking further questions. I Remember thinking to myself as a kid,” how stupid those men were”.Now, I’m no longer a kid, and I have changed the way I think and deal with issues.
If you ask me, do some of my ancestors exchange mirror for land? My answer will be ” I don’t know”.
Why that answer? Firstly, I wasn’t there when the event happened and there is no document that verifies the story.
There are possibilities that it’s true and there are possibilities that it’s just a rumour.
Let’s us say the story is true. Why would someone exchange something valuable for a Mirror? Before we start bashing and belittling those men, Let’s us Quickly look at the history of a Mirror.
Mirror, as we see it today, is not what it was during the bronze age. During the Bronze age and bronze age, Obsidian was used as a mirror.
Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass. Examples of obsidian mirrors found in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) have been dated to around 6000 B.C.
Mirrors of polished copper were crafted in Mesopotamia from 4000 B.C. and in ancient from around 3000 B.C Egypt from around 3000 B.C.
For thousands of Years Mirror has evolved.
Fast forward 3000B.C to 17th Century, Mirror has evolved so much that it became a commodity.
“The war of mirrors ” Between France and Venice.
The society of 17th century Europe loved luxury items. And as it happens one of these artefacts brought two nations to conflict. There was not a war per se, but rather what perhaps could be considered one of the first espionage trifles in history. France and Venice became political and economic enemies due to some mirrors. Almighty France fighting because of a mirror. Hmm, Are the French stupid?
No, the French are not stupid.
Mirror in the 17th Century were valuable items.
It’s was classed as a luxury item.
These mirrors were not only a symbol of wealth and status but also taste. Owning a mirror made you elegant and fashionable. Moreover, throughout the 17th century, their popularity increased to the point of becoming decorative elements for palaces. Some were even more expensive than paintings, due to the degree of elaboration and sophistication involved in their production.
The presence of Europeans increased in Sub-sahara Africa during the 17th and 18th Century. They do traded among themselves. If the mirror could create a dispute between two countries in the 17th century, That shows how valuable it was back then. It also shows that the Europeans wasn’t belittling those men but only given out what was seen as valuable in those days.
