Bulletin du Musée National de Varsovie (42.2001)

technology, which appeared during in the New Kingdom period when the
bronze discs were produced. In the case of all mirrors in the collection of the
National Museum in Warsaw described in this article no metal analysis was
madę. Hence, there can be no certainty as to the kind of materiał the mirrors
were madę of. According to acąuired information on objects from this period,
these mirrors were probably forged out of copper.

An inscription was often placed on the mirror’s disc and handle. Such
inscriptions were either names, epithets describing the owner or information
on his social status.3 The objects described in this article lack inscriptions of
this sort.

Most of the known Egyptian mirrors, like those from Tell Edfu, constituted
a part of the burial eąuipment. The mirror was placed inside the tomb next
to the body.4 Other objects put in the tomb included: ceramics, stone and
metal vessels, amulets, tools or jewellery.

While defining various types of mirrors, a disc and a handle are classified
separately.5 As nonę of the objects found in Tell Edfu had a handle, only the
discs were classified into specific type categories. The discs were divided into
three main groups according to their shape: ellipsoidal (type I), round (type
II) and heart-shaped (type III).6 All of the described mirrors-except for one
(inv. no. 140334) which was either ellipsoidal or round, but its shape was
hard to define due to corrosion-belong to the ellipsoidal group. These discs,
characterised by flattened top and bottom edges, are most common. This type
can be divided into two subgroups: la - the shape of the discs is symmetrical
with the morę or less flattened top and bottom edges and Ib - the shape of
the discs is not symmetrical with the flattened top edge and bottom round
edge. Type III, characterised by a flattened top edge and side edges descending
slantwise towards the pin and thus forming a triangular shape, was further
divided into: type Ilia - oblong disc, type Ilb - broad disc and type IIIc -
intermediate disc. The pin was an inseparable part of each disc. It served for
attaching the mirror’s handle to the disc.

The oldest mirrors, of which only few were preserved, come from the
Archaic Period. These are type Ilia, heart-shaped discs. The mirrors began to
appear commonly during the Old Kingdom period. At that time and during
the First Intermediate Period the ellipsoidal discs of the type la were most
common. We also know of round disc of the type Ha. The pins produced
during this period were oblong, rather long, with parallel edges. During the
Middle Kingdom period and Second Intermediate Period there were no

3 Stępniak, op. cit., pp. 44^5.

4 There are also cases of mirrors found in different places; several objects were discovered in
private homes, forts and temples, ibid., pp. 14-16.

5 This mirror typology was introduced by G. Benedite, Les Miroirs, Catalogue Generale des
antiąuites egyptiennes du Musee du Caire, Cairo 1907; after analysis of artefacts from the
majority of museums around the world, the typology was broadened and additional naming was
introduced: Stępniak, op. cit., pp. 16-34.

6 This handle typology is discussed in detail in the Stępniak, op. cit., pp. 18-32.

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