Vincenzo de Michele
Italian mineralogist who identified Tutankhamun's desert-glass scarab
- Nationality
- Italian
- Field
- Mineralogy
- Known for
- Identifying Libyan desert glass in a Tutankhamun pectoral
- Published
- 1998, in the journal Sahara (vol. 10)
The Italian mineralogist who recognized that the yellow scarab in a pectoral of Tutankhamun was carved from Libyan desert glass.
What is Vincenzo de Michele known for?
Vincenzo de Michele is an Italian mineralogist who took part in research on Libyan desert glass, a natural silica glass found scattered across part of the Great Sand Sea on the Egypt–Libya border.
Examining a pectoral (chest ornament) from the tomb of Tutankhamun, now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, he concluded that the translucent yellow stone forming its central winged scarab was not chalcedony, as had been assumed, but Libyan desert glass. He published the identification in 1998 in the journal Sahara.
The glass formed about 29 million years ago. Most researchers link it to a meteorite impact, citing mineral changes found only at impact sites, though some have proposed a large airburst instead. Its use in Tutankhamun's jewelry shows that ancient Egyptians collected it from the desert and valued it as a gemstone.
He identified the Libyan desert glass in Tutankhamun's scarab pectoral.
Mentioned on these pages
- Rabbit holeLibyan desert glass (Tutankhamun's scarab)
- PersonTutankhamun
Sources
- Wikipedia, 'Libyan desert glass'Reference
- Atlas Obscura, 'How a Meteor Crash Formed Stunning Desert Glass'Reference
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