Sphère de verre libyque

Libyan Desert Glass Sphere
Oligocene
Sahara Desert, Egypt-Libyan Border
In the raging heat produced by a meteorite impact 28.5 million years ago, a mass of molten desert sand splashed upward and fell over a 4,000-square kilometer area in Western Egypt, creating the beautiful and mysterious material known as Libyan Desert Glass. Ancient Egyptians were clearly aware of the uniqueness of this material, as is evidenced by its presence as a carved scarab in one of King Tut's amulets. Carved and polished in Russia by an expert lapidary, the present sphere is, to our knowledge, unique. The girth of the sphere is particularly large and a significant specimen would have needed to have been sacrificed to create it. Weighing 219 grams. Diameter 6 cm