ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the origin, procurement, and control of one raw material 镃 alum, an important dye-fixer or mordant for wool, silks, and other fabrics – to appreciate what could be at stake on both the global and local level. The competition for scarce raw materials could expose entire communities to dire risks. The savage siege and sack of Volterra in central Italy orchestrated by Lorenzo de' Medici of Florence and executed by Federico da Montefeltro of Urbino in 1472 were motivated by the Medici bank's desire to monopolize, with the Pope's support, the supply of alum. The chapter investigates too the seemingly inherent value of materials, the problems posed by the transformation and simulation of these precious things, and the role of mimesis and deception in the values attached to objects. The competition for scarce raw materials could expose entire communities to dire risks.
