Shades History Lesson: 13th Century China’s Use of Sunglasses

An article by Lucy    94 Comments

Believe it or not, in the 13th Century China, a primitive form of sunglasses were used by judges in court! Judges wore sunglasses made of Smoky Quartz while interrogating witnesses and defendants. The idea was to hide the judges facial expressions so the final verdict wouldn’t be hinted until the very end. Other stories claim that the dark lenses were meant to protect the judges from the evil eye of the accused. Sounds a lot like why poker players use them today!

The sunglasses below were found in a tomb that dates back to the Tang Dynasty back in the 7th century. They were used for the same purposes as today, to block out the sun, but especially dusty winds that came across the arid desert in those days.