Prehistoric Mirrors from Turkey, c.6400 BCE: these are the oldest manufactured mirrors ever discovered, dating back to more than 8,000 years ago, and they were meticulously crafted from pieces of obsidian
Above: two obsidian mirrors that were discovered together at Çatalhöyük, in Turkey, back in 2012
At least eight of these obsidian mirrors have been discovered at a Neolithic site known as Çatalhöyük, in modern-day Turkey, and they all date back to about 6400-6200 BCE. Each mirror was crafted from a chunk of obsidian (volcanic glass) that was knapped into the shape of a disc and then polished with progressively finer abrasives until a smooth, slightly convex surface had been developed.
Some of the mirrors from Çatalhöyük can still produce remarkably clear reflections even after more than 8,000 years.
Sources & More Info:
The Archaeologist: World's Oldest Mirrors Found at Neolithic Çatalhöyük Site
Çatalhöyük Research Project: Archive Report from 2012 (PDF)
Journal of Archaeological Science: Neolithic Obsidian Mirrors from Southwest Asia: a Reflection on their Diffusion and Manufacture
Çatalhöyük Research Project: Main Website
Journal of Modern Optics: The Very First Known Mirrors and Lenses
The Past: How 3D Modeling is Unpeeling the Neolithic at Çatalhöyük