Sen-Sen's Mirror

A large, asymmetrical, gray-white metal mirror in a golden frame. The frame is inscribed, and several sections appear damaged or chiseled away. The frame is composed of warped, inhuman, sometimes demonic faces. Writing along the frame is in cuneiform, a language used by Babylonia in the ancient middle-east. The mirror itself is made from a speculum metal - an alloy of 2/3 copper and 1/3 tin adulterated with arsenic and able to hold a high polish. This is a particularly large piece - most ancient mirrors are far smaller.

Mary Elise St. Dennis made a rubbing of the inscription and translated it at the London Library. The first part of inscription identifies Sen-Sen <gash> Gal as the being the mirror is dedicated to. Then either "mirror" or "wrath" "of the great" <gash>. References to some god or king are chiseled out. The mirror was made in Lagash. It is a gift from the King Bur-ra Bu-ri-ia-as, which translates to Servant of the Lord of Thunder in the Lands. To his brother ("brother" being a loose translation) King of Egypt Ne-ne-fe-ka-<gash>. (These names are phonetic transcriptions, not proper spellings of a name.) "When the king, my brother, wishes to view his enemy, anoint the mirror with ub-ra-an. Let there be no misunderstanding between us." Ub-ra-an means the sound of the drum of heaven. This is another name for red sulphur, a component of the philosopher stone, for which a number of alchemical texts give recipes.