Indeed, the Roman glass industry was prolific, mass producing wares for drinking and dining, window panes and wall mosaics. One of the most outstanding achievements, though, was “Alexandrian” glass—a colorless glass favored for high-quality drinking ware. The name of the glass, as declared by Roman Emperor Diocletian in the fourth century, led researchers to believe it had Egyptian origins. However, large amounts of Roman glass are known to have been made in Palestine, where archaeologists have uncovered furnaces for colorless glass production. But, no such furnaces have been found in Egypt.Cross-file under Material Culture.
So, despite archeologists’ best efforts, the origins of Alexandrian glass have been muddled—until now. Researchers with Aarhus University (Denmark) employed an ion chromatography-based method that revealed a high level of the rare isotope hafnium in the glass, providing compelling evidence that the glass was indeed made in Egypt.
For notice of the discovery of an ancient glass kiln in Israel in 2016, see here. And for many other PaleoJudaica posts on ancient glass, see the links there, plus here, here, here, here, and here.
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