In ancient times
they did not know how to make glasses from glass. Although, apparently, they
already knew that glass, like rock crystal, topaz, and other transparent
minerals have an interesting property: it not only transmits light but
sometimes it can remove or move nearer, reduce or enlarge an object that you
look through him.
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Transparent Glass Ball |
The Roman writer
Pliny describes glass balls filled with water through which "everything
small seems large." And during the excavations of Pompeii, they found real
glass lenses.
How did the
inhabitants of this city use them? Maybe they wore these lenses with them and
applied to their eyes, wanting to make out something better. Or maybe they used
magnifying glasses instead of matches. After all, it is worth holding such a
glass in front of the sun, above the board at the right distance, and the board
will instantly begin to smolder and light up. It is possible that the Pompeians
appreciated precisely this property of magnifying glasses.
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Lens |
Based on these considerations, the inscription on the tombstone of the Florentine resident Salvino-Armato d’Armati cannot be considered correct - he did not invent glasses. He was probably a famous lens grinder. And popular rumor attributed to him the invention.
In fact, this
invention was made by people of the ancient world, but it, like many other
great inventions, did not become the property of the common people. Lenses were
used only by wealthy people.