Surprisingly little is known about the origins and early uses of lenses. Lens-shaped (lenses take their name from the bulging, double-convex shape of the lentil bean), near-transparent objects made from naturally occurring crystals and form glass have been used for thousands of yeas in jewelry, as building decoration and objets d'art, and as parts of items venerated as religious symbols; many early examples of lens-like objects can be seen in museums around the Mediterranean and in the near East, as well as in major art and archaeological centers elsewhere (for example, the British Museum).
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