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Alabaster. Margaret Sax. History Essay Research Paper

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Thanks to the work of Margaret Sax, a conservator at the British Museum, we know that the softest stones (alabaster, steatite, etc.) were the earliest to be used in the production of Mesopotamian cylinder seals, and that harder stones came later and were reserved for higher-status individuals. The softer stones later fell into disuse in favor of the harder, higher-staus ones. Similar patterns can be seen in the development of sculpture.
Given what we now know about alabaster, and about the materials in previous modules, please discuss the reasons why a material like alabaster might have found favor as a sculptural medium in the earliest ancient art, only to have a decline in its usage in later centuries. Consider the characteristics of alabaster and other materials, as well as technology and symbolism. What would be the particular advantages of alabaster? What about its disadvantages?

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ALABASTER
Name
Course
Why Alabaster’ usage declined with time?
Alabaster, popularly used in the earlier centuries is a very soft stone with a hardness of 2-3 using the Mohs scale. In the past, it was used due to its softness which made it easier to carve to the required shapes. During those times, technology was way behind; hence there was a lack of objects to use in carving of stones. That’s where Alabaster came in due to its soft nature which made it easier to use. Its use has reduced over the years with continued development in technology which has brought lots of useful appliances for carving (Lee, 2015). The tools have made carving easy and much effective.
Advantages of Alabaster
Advantages of Alabaster include: -
* It does not contain dangerous compositions that can cause health problems despite being water-soluble, hence safe for use. Alabaster does not contain silicate like limestone and soapstone thus most harmless soft stone to use while carving...
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