Description
The crystal skulls are works of art carved from quartz or rock crystal in the shape of human skulls. These appeared in the second half of the nineteenth century and were originally attributed to various pre-Columbian civilizations. Research in the 1990s, using a scanning tunneling microscope among other methods, showed that at least a number of these skulls are forgeries. These were made with grinding tools that were not developed until the second half of the nineteenth century. There is a strong suspicion that a number of the crystal skulls were manufactured on commission for the French merchant Eugène Boban and sold by him. One of the most famous skulls is the Mitchell-Hedges skull. It is said to have been found by the British adventurer F.A. Mitchell-Hedges in a chamber beneath the ruins of Lubaantun in Belize. It later emerged that he had purchased this skull privately at the London auction house Sotheby's. His wife gave the reason that he had merely given the skull to someone as collateral and had bought it back through Sotheby's. After the death of Anna Mitchell-Hedges, the skull came into the possession of Bill Homann. In the 1990s, it turned out that the Mitchell-Hedges skull was also a fake. In the meantime, numerous hypes and legends have arisen surrounding the crystal skulls. Due to their supposed discovery site, they were allegedly manufactured centuries ago by the Mayans, the Aztecs, or an even older pre-Columbian civilization. They were also said to possess paranormal abilities, and one should never look them directly in the eyes. According to another legend, they have an extraterrestrial origin. Thirteen of them are said to be found on Earth. Once reunited, they would share their knowledge with humanity. Even today, the skulls still play a role within a part of the New Age community.
In fiction:
• In the 2008 film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, all the above legends are combined.
• The Hidden Crystal, a book by Manda Scott, deals with the crystal skulls and the Mayan 2012 phenomenon.
• In the 21st episode of season 3 of the science fiction series Stargate SG-1 from 2000 (Crystal Skull), Daniel Jackson disappears when he looks into a crystal skull.
•The Assassin's Creed series references the skulls, where they are ancient artifacts with mysterious powers.
Gemstone skulls. Gemstone skulls have been popular and mysterious for many cultures for decades. The skulls have a wide variety of meanings. Celtic skulls symbolize Time, Power, creation, initiation, and concentration. Celtic culture believes the skull is a seat of power and strength. Some texts refer to the skull as the seat of our soul. Archaeological discoveries teach us that the ancient Celts offered skulls to sacred sources. The skull is universally seen as a symbol of life and death. More recently, the skull has been linked to death and embracing our mortality. In times long past, the skull sometimes represented life. Skulls and skeletons are the symbol of the Mexican holiday, the Day of the Dead. The skull and crossbones is a popular symbol for pirates and poison. Some healers use skulls to see visions of the present, past, and future. Other materials used include rose quartz, rock crystal, rhodonite, aventurine, and hematite.
The mystery of the skulls
Amethyst is a violet variety of the mineral quartz (SiO2) and is the most sought-after stone of the quartz group. Etymology: The name derives from the Greek αμεθυστoς (amethystos). Amethyst was already known to the Egyptians, Etruscans, and Romans, and was described by Pliny the Elder. In ancient China, small gems were cut from amethyst. In the Middle Ages, amethyst was also highly prized in Europe. It was called the bishop's stone because it was once a favored gemstone for ecclesiastical dignitaries and was believed to possess magical powers. It was the symbol of lovers, the stone of temperance, a protector against sorcery and witchcraft. Jacob van Maerlant offers an explanation that the stone dispels drunkenness. It has been assumed that the Greek name meant "against intoxication": wine drunk from a cup made of amethyst was said to prevent one from becoming drunk. Origin: Metamorphic, hydrothermal, alluvial deposits. The crystals always grow on a substrate; the prisms are often weakly developed, and therefore the crystal points of amethyst predominate; here, the color is also most intense. These parts are knocked off, that is, broken off for further use. Firing at temperatures between 470 and 750 degrees Celsius produces light yellow, reddish-brown, green, or colorless varieties. Some amethysts gradually fade in daylight. Radium irradiation can restore the original color. The color is caused by iron combined with ionizing radiation. Amethyst is less attractive in artificial light. Occurrence: As early as the Middle Ages, Brazil boasted its amethyst deposits; they are mined in places including Bahia, Minas Gerais, and Mato Grosso. Recently, the so-called ametrine, an amethyst-citrine, has been mined in Bolivia, where the violet and yellow colors alternate, but the transition between the colors is sharply defined. Amethysts are also known in the United States, namely in Montana, Maine, Georgia, and Arizona. Canada, Mexico, Bolivia, India, Myanmar, Japan, China, and Korea, as well as Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Congo, and Australia, are also important producers. In Russia, amethyst is found in the Urals, Yakutsk, and the Kola Peninsula, among other places. Amethysts are also found in Armenia, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Switzerland, and Ireland. Amethyst rarely forms larger, pure crystals. The British Museum houses a unique cut stone weighing 343 carats. Other, smaller stones weigh less; they usually come from Brazil. The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, even possesses a cut amethyst from Brazil weighing 1,362 carats and one from North Carolina weighing 202.5 carats. Amethysts were often used in state jewels, such as Catherine the Great's scepter and the scepter of the British Crown.
