Is plaster of Paris really from Paris?
The oldest traces of plaster renders are 9,000 years old, and were found in Anatolia and Syria. We also know that 5,000 years ago, the Egyptians burnt gypsum in open-air fires, then crushed it into powder, and finally mixed this powder with water to make jointing material for the blocks of their monuments, such as the magnificent Cheops Pyramid for example. The ancient Egyptians used models of plaster taken directly from the human body. The Greeks also used gypsum, in particular as window for their temples when it was of a transparent quality (“selenite gypsum”). The writer Theophraste (372-287 BC) described quite precisely the fabrication of plaster as it was done at that time in Syria and Phenicia. The Romans cast in plaster many thousands of copies of Greek statues. Plaster of Paris. Throughout the centuries, expertise was gained in many parts of the World with gypsum calcinations. In the 1700’s, Paris was already the “capital of plaster” (“Plaster of Paris”) since all the walls of
Plaster of paris is nothing but calcinated gypsum. Gysum is akind of rock with a chemical formula (CaSO4, 2H2O) that is 2 molecules of water and one molecule calcium sulphate is needed to make a crystalline structure called Gypsum. You calcinate gypsum to drive away the water molecules. The residue is calcinated gypsum or Plaster Of Paris (CaSO4, 1/2 H2O). This plaster of paris (powder) has unique capability of transforming into gypsum again by absorbing water molecules from surroundings. And I am sure you know this hardening of plaster of paris. Mankind is using plaster of paris from time immemorial, the egyptians used it, the Greeks used it and the Romans too. But the oldest trace of use of plaster of paris dates back to 9000 BC In early seventeenth century the people of Paris used this material extensibly to build their houses. I think this naming of calcinated gypsum to plaster of paris happened at that time only.
No it isn’t. As the other poster stated, it has been in use for a very long period of time. Its association with the City of Paris was straightforward: Paris was known as the “capital of plaster”, since the walls of homes were covered in plaster by law as a means to control the spread of fires. This was mandated by the king following the destruction of London in 1666 by fire.
