Kicking away the dirt hiding Roman history and finding what lies beneath...have we got the age of Rome all wrong?
Wednesday, 27 June 2012
Diamonds are a Roman's best friend
If you think diamond edged cutting tools are something we thought of in the 1950s, then Pliny the Elder can tell you the Romans knew all about 'Industrial Diamonds'. In 78AD he describes how the shards left over from 'breaking' a diamond were used by engravers - who inserted the slivers into their iron cutting tools because, "they cut into the hardest surfaces with little effort." Waste not want not. Even at that time diamonds were considered the world's most valuable gemstone, so this would have been a brave decision to turn such a rare stone into a stone cutter.
Find out if Calvus can ever afford a diamond
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