Lapis Lazuli

[Travellers | Cities | Routes | Trade Goods | Themes]

by Jane McIntosh

The beautiful blue stone, lapis lazuli, was highly prized by ancient societies, including Egypt and Mesopotamia. It was used particularly for decorating royal jewellery and luxury goods, offerings to the gods and important public buildings such as palaces and temples. One source of true lapis lazuli, near Badakshan in Afghanistan, was known and exploited by the 4th millennium BC.

Communities in West Asia and adjacent regions developed trade networks to obtain lapis lazuli; these changed in nature and complexity through time. Lapis was only one of the commodities being traded at this time, but its restricted source and distinctive nature make it an ideal material for tracing the changing routes and mechanisms by which materials were traded through the region in ancient times.