The origins of a mysterious “ spirit mirror ” used to connect the court of English queen to the world of the occult has been hunt back to volcano ofMesoamerica . As per the raw study , the volcanic - black mirror was crafted by the Aztecs some 500 years ago , embark across the Atlantic soon after the Spanish colonial conquest , and cease up in the hands of Elizabeth I ’s close confidants .
The unbelievable narration of this nonnatural object was recently reported in the journalAntiquity .
The mirror was eff to be owned by John Dee , an English mathematician , astronomer , occultist , and alchemist who served as an advisor to Queen Elizabeth I ( 1533 – 1603 ) . Though primarily known as the court uranologist for Elizabeth I , he became increasingly soak up in conjuring trick , the supernatural , and the occult in his later years , like a half - wizard , half - Renaissance polymath . The target , which is little more than a slightly sheeny black boat paddle , was believed to work as a puppet to communicate with spectral entities . Fashioned out of obsidian , a black volcanic looking glass , people would stare deep at the reflective paddle and take to see faint glimmer of the spirit world .
" John Dee probably used several unlike object to endeavor to communicate with spirits or as he tended to term them ‘ angels ’ – he reconciled his interest in the supernatural with Christian piety,“Professor Stuart Campbell , track study source and archeologists from the University of Manchester , told IFLScience .
" The obsidian mirror was belike one of several mirrors or crystal balls that were used to call the spirits . John Dee did n’t do this himself but by using mediums , who claimed to be able to communicate with the spirits or angels – while the mediums were of very in question honesty , John Dee himself seems to have totally believe in this process , " explain ProfessorCampbell . " I ’d get into that the rather dim reflection in the obsidian mirror lent themselves to dramatic claims that concealed thing could be regard within it . "
Centuries after John Dee ’s last , a rumor persist that the objective was fashion by Aztecs in the Americas – after all , this acculturation also usedobsidian mirrors for spiritual purposes and traditionalrituals . However , there was no arduous grounds that explained how John Dee get his hired man on the object .
In a new study , an outside team of scientists has solved the enigma of the mirror ’s blood line using geochemical analysis . They closely canvass John Dee ’s mirror , two otherAztec mirrors , and a polished orthogonal obsidian slab also hold at the British Museum . Their work strongly suggests that all four of the artifacts were made from Mexicanobsidian , which was to a great extent exploited by the Aztecs . John Dee ’s mirror specifically looks like created from obsidian sourced near Pachuca .
" It was most belike looted or allow as forcible ‘ testimonial , ’ ” added Professor Stuart Campbell .
Widespread business deal between the so - call " New World " and the " Old World " opened up following theEuropean settlement of the Americasin the 15th and sixteenth century . Based on this new field of study , we can safely assume that John Dee ’s mystical mirror was just one of many physical object swept up in this monumentalexchange of good , ideas , and disease .
“ The mirror was certainly commit back to Europe by the Spanish vanquisher of the Aztec Empire around 1521 or in the decade after that – we know that very large quantities of exotic artifacts were shipped back at this time and several similar mirror that are now in major European museum almost for certain were brought to Europe at that time , " Campbell concluded .
" We know that Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés sometimes commissioned detail from [ Aztec ] craftsmen so he could send out them back to the Spanish court . So , it is even potential that some of these mirror were especially made at the time of the conquest of the Aztec Empire to send back to Europe , " he sum .
