History of gypsum application: Ancient Egypt

In the construction of ancient Egypt, as well as many other civilizations, gypsum was widely used. But unburned natural gypsum, unlike other examples of the same time, is absolutely not typical for Egypt either as a building stone or as a material for various crafts and products. Of the 302 pre-dynastic stone vessels found in Egypt, only one vessel is made of gypsum, and 48 vessels are made of alabaster (calcite).

During the third Dynasty, vases and dishes were made from gypsum and anhydrite. On the contrary, construction, i.e. burnt gypsum was most widely used in Ancient Egypt. It was used as the main binder for building mortars and especially plasters. The time of the beginning of this use of gypsum in Egypt is unknown, but Lucas ' analysis found that the white putty used to glue a large red ceramic vessel from the pre-dynastic period (5000-3400 BC) from Maadi near Cairo is nothing more than plaster.

Gypsum mortar was used to bind broken pieces, fill potholes and smooth the uneven surfaces of alabaster sarcophagi (during their installation) of the unfinished pyramid of the III dynasty in Saqqara (analysis by Zaki Iskander from the Department of Antiquities) and the tomb of Tutankhamun of the XVIII dynasty in Thebes (analysis by Lucas).