"It is... poured around the stone or anything else of this kind that one wishes to fasten."
Theophrastus, philosopher and scientist
Plaster goes by various names—plaster of Paris, partly dehydrated gypsum, or calcium sulfate hemihydrate. Gypsum is a common mineral found in a variety of crystalline forms, from the fine grain of alabaster to the large, flat blades of selenite.
Plaster was first used as a building material and for decoration in the Middle East at least 7,000 years ago. In Egypt, gypsum was burned in open fires, crushed into powder, and mixed with water to create plaster, used as a mortar between the blocks of pyramids and to provide a smooth facing for palaces. In Jericho, a cult arose where human skulls were decorated with plaster and painted to appear lifelike. The Romans brought plasterwork techniques to Europe.
Gypsum is found worldwide, as far east as Thailand and as far west as New Mexico, where a huge sandy deposit is used by the construction industry. The name "plaster of Paris" comes from a large deposit mined in Montmartre from the sixteenth century. The French king ordered that the wooden houses of Paris be covered in plaster as a protection against fire.
Plaster has played a key role in the fine arts as well as the building trade. The art of fresco consists of painting on a thin surface of damp plaster; and stucco is a plaster-based ornamental rendering material. In medicine, plaster was first used to support broken bones in Europe in the early nineteenth century.
