Ellipsoidal Glass Bead

5/16 x 3/16 x 3/16 in. (0.8 x 0.4 x 0.5 cm)

This object has the following keywords:

• Egyptian - Refers to the styles and culture that developed in antiquity in the Nile Valley in the area of modern-day Egypt and southwards. For the cultures and styles of the modern nation of Egypt, use "Egypt (modern)."
• ellipses - Geometric plane figures produced when a cone is cut obliquely by a plane taking a smaller angle with the base than the side of the cone makes with the base; the form is symmetric about its horizontal and vertical axes.
• glass - An amorphous, inorganic substance made by fusing silica (silicon dioxide) with a basic oxide; generally transparent but often translucent or opaque. Its characteristic properties are its hardness and rigidity at ordinary temperatures, its capacity for plastic working at elevated temperatures, and its resistance to weathering and to most chemicals except hydrofluoric acid. Used for both utilitarian and decorative purposes, it can be formed into various shapes, colored or decorated. Glass originated as a glaze in Mesopotamia in about 3500 BCE and the first objects made wholly of glass date to about 2500 BCE.

This object is a member of the following portfolios: