Editing Etching (section)

====Etching in antiquity====
{{Main|Etched carnelian beads}}
Etching was already used in antiquity for decorative purposes. [[Etched carnelian beads]] are a type of ancient decorative beads made from [[carnelian]] with an etched design in white, which were probably manufactured by the [[Indus Valley civilization]] during the 3rd millennium BCE. They were made according to a technique of alkaline etching developed by the [[Harappa]]ns, and vast quantities of these beads were found in the archaeological sites of the Indus Valley civilization.<ref>For the etching technique, see {{cite journal |last1=MacKay |first1=Ernest |title=Sumerian Connexions with Ancient India |journal=The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland |issue=4 |date=1925 |pages=699 |jstor=25220818 }}</ref><ref name="BM Carnelian"/><ref name="FeniXX réédition numérique">{{cite book |last1=Guimet |first1=Musée |title=Les Cités oubliées de l'Indus: Archéologie du Pakistan |date=2016 |publisher=FeniXX réédition numérique |isbn=9782402052467 |page=355 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-HpYDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA355 |language=fr}}</ref> They are considered as an important marker of ancient trade between the [[Indus Valley]], [[Mesopotamia]] and even [[Ancient Egypt]], as these precious and unique manufactured items circulated in great numbers between these geographical areas during the 3rd millennium BCE, and have been found in numerous tomb deposits.<ref name="AFC">{{cite book |title=Art of the first cities : the third millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus. |date=2003 |publisher=The Metropolitan Museum of Art |pages=395–396 |url=https://archive.org/details/ArtOfTheFirstCitiesTheThirdMillenniumB.C.FromTheMediterraneanToTheIndusEditedByJ/page/n419/mode/2up |language=en}}</ref> Sumerian kings, such as [[Shulgi]] {{Circa|2000 BCE}}, also created etched carnelian beads for dedication purposes.<ref name="MCI">{{cite book |last1=McIntosh |first1=Jane |title=The Ancient Indus Valley: New Perspectives |date=2008 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-57607-907-2 |page=185 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1AJO2A-CbccC&pg=PA185 |language=en}}</ref>