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Galena: More Than a Mineral
When you look at this galena, you see the history of our planet, and beyond.
By: Abby Cheng
Galena sample from the Tri-State Mining District in Pitcher, Oklahoma.
Though at first glance this mineral appears to be nothing more than a conglomeration of shiny cubes on a rock, its history is extraordinarily expansive. As you study this specimen, noting its occurances in ancient societies and modern-day, you begin to see the history of our planet—even our universe—unfold.
As early as 3500 BCE, the ancient Egyptians established galena as a cosmetic, making it a commodity and giving it cultural bearing. They mixed crushed galena with an array of other substances to create kohl eyeliner. This eyeliner was used as sunblock, bug repellent, and antibacterial ointment. Galena’s use in this way led to medicinal cosmetics being known as “the third leg of medicine.” In fact, folk medicine practices using kohl and other substances continue today in certain areas of the Levant, the Middle East, and North Africa.
Long after the Roman Empire peaked, people continued to use galena-based lead to glaze pottery. This lead-glazed flask from the 1st century CE, mould-made in the form of a bunch of grapes, was found in modern-day Syria.
After the discovery of a “metallic snow” on Venus mountain-tops in 1989, scientists spent years trying to determine what kind of metal could be frosting our sister planet’s surface. Then, in 2004, scientists Laura Schaefer and Bruce Fegley found this “snow” to be galena. Since galena contains so much lead, scientists now have a way to carbon-date the planet and discover how old she likely is. However, the scientists must retrieve a surface sample first, and there are no likely undertakings in the near future.
Ancient Egyptians were often buried with their kohl and accompanying applicators, pointing to the makeup’s importance both in everyday life and in the afterlife.
In ancient Rome (circa 3000 BCE), galena was used primarily for its high lead content. The Romans glazed their pipes, baths, dishes, cosmetics, paints, and coins with lead. Approximately one fifth of their recipes were sweetened with “lead sugar,” because they preferred the taste to the copper that would otherwise dissolve in their food and drink. Lead poisoning became so prevalent, especially in Roman elites, that it rendered even Caesar Augustus sterile, contributing to the fall of the Roman Empire.
The 1989 Magellan Mission was the first to discover the presence of “metallic snow” on Venus. It first appeared on synthetic aperture radar (SAR) as bright spots on the map.
Perhaps galena’s most prevalent modern-day use is in the practice of crystal healing. Watch the video below for an investigation of the question: do healing crystals really work?