Monday, April 11, 2016

Ancient glass kilns found in Israel

ARCHAEOLOGY: International archaeologists hail discovery as breakthrough in understanding ancient glass industry (i24News).
The remains of the oldest kilns in Israel, thought to be over 1,600 years old, were recently discovered where commercial quantities of raw glass were produced, indicating that the Land of Israel was one of the foremost centers for glass production in the ancient world, the Israel Antiquities Authority reported Monday.

The kilns, which were discovered during an excavation carried out as part of the Jezreel Valley Railway Project, consisted of two built compartments. They included a firebox where kindling was burnt to create a very high temperature, and a melting chamber – in which the raw materials for the glass (clean beach sand and salt) were inserted and melted together at a temperature of 1,200 C degrees.

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Some past posts involving ancient glass are here, here, here, and here.