How the invention of glassblowing changed everyday life in ancient Rome

How the invention of glassblowing changed everyday life in ancient Rome Lisa Lock Scientific Editor Andrew Zinin Lead Editor We see glass objects every day and often don't think much about them. Mass-produced glass has become so cheap we barely think about the things it allows us to do. In fact, glassblowing has a fascinating history dating to the late first century BCE. Roman experimentation with recycling glass permanently changed everyday life, facilitating a vast expansion of trade and economic activity. And the way glassblowing was done during the Roman era is still very similar to the way we do it today. The old ways Of course, glass was invented long before glassblowing. The earliest glass beads were made in Ancient Mesopotamia in the second half of the third millennium BCE (around 4,500–4,000 years ago). The first closed glass vessels followed about a thousand years later (around 1500–1400 BCE) in Mesopotamia and nearby Ancient Egypt. These early glass vessels were molded, and the closed containers were made with a process called core-forming. This involved sticking a plug made of animal dung, clay, mud and sand onto the end of an iron rod. Molten glass, the consistency of treacle (and more than 1,000°C (1,832°F)), was poured over the plug. After it was worked, decorated and cooled, the hardened plug had to be scraped out manually. Later vessels were made with casting techniques, which also involved heating glass and laying it atop a mold. This also required long periods of work, as well as laborious grinding and polishing. Glass was only for the wealthy because this process took tens of hours to complete. Invention of a new technology Glassblowing—invented toward the end of the first century BCE in the coastal Levant (in what is now Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine and Jordan)—cut all this down to mere minutes. The earliest evidence we have is from modern-day Jerusalem, which in the final quarter of the first century BCE was ruled by Roman Jewish client kings Herod the Great and Herod Archelaus on behalf of Rome's Emperor Augustus. Our earliest glassblowing evidence in Jerusalem suggests furnace workers were experimenting by heating the ends of glass tubes to rework them. Scholars have suggested this was an experiment in glass recycling. One day, someone blew into that tube and changed the industry—and history—forever. You could now make a glass container quickly and comparatively easily. Glassworkers spread the technique as they traveled Ancient glassblowers traveled all over the Mediterranean, and in the first century BCE, the Levant was a hotbed of glass technology and experimentation. Some of the only named glassworkers we know from that period, such as Ennion, were Greek-speaking Syrians. Glassworkers and their products soon spread to the rest of the Mediterranean, wherever the Romans were. Glass vessels were frequently traded or gifted beyond the Roman frontier, reaching people as widespread as northern Scotland, Scandinavia, the Sahara and even China. Blown glass vessels became readily available to most of society. The Greek historian Strabo tells us that not long after the discovery of glassblowing in Rome, a glass cup could cost as little as one copper coin. Olive oil and wine were produced in large terracotta amphorae, which were stocked in Roman shops. Glass containers allowed people to buy smaller quantities at a time, as they could have glass containers filled at shops and taverns. And because the surface of glass is inert, it does not affect the taste of food or drink—meaning you can store things for longer periods. Most ancient pottery was unglazed, which resulted in seepage, and metals could affect taste. Roman writers Petronius and Pliny the Elder both share a fanciful story in which the imagined discovery of unbreakable glass is brought to Rome's Emperor Tiberius. Tiberius has the man killed, fearing economic collapse because gold and silver would not be as useful or as pretty as glass. Like us, the Romans stored glass jars and bottles on shelves and in cupboards. We can find the vessels where they fell after the eruption of Vesuvius in Pompeii and Herculaneum. The easiest vessel to make in glass is a small perfume or cosmetic flask. Roman perfumes were oil- and fat-based, and having an effective spoil-free container made perfumes and cosmetics more affordable. Glass changed the way people interacted with food and drink, as well as their personal care and hygiene. It also transformed domestic comfort, as glass windows could provide draft-free light in Roman homes and baths. Roman art figurines and everyday objects were commonly made into the shapes of animals, plants and humans, and sometimes body parts. While simple vessels were most common, Roman glass also got weird and kitschy at times, featuring things such as gladiator fight scenes or a monkey playing the panpipes. Some molds were made of stone or ceramic and lined with a thin layer of soot, usually from a lamp. This meant the hot glass bubble could be blown inside the mold, and the soot would prevent sticking. Mythological scenes and themes also featured heavily. Some vessels featured the equivalent of "live, laugh, love" in the form of ancient Greek phrases such as "katachaire kai euphrainou" (rejoice and enjoy yourself!) or "euphrainou epi toutoi eph hoi parei" (delight in that at which you are present). Flasks could be shaped like fish or fruit, such as dates and grapes. Presumably, these were the ancient equivalents of the tomato-shaped sauce container at a diner or the plastic soy sauce fish at a sushi chain. These point to things the Romans found entertaining and that glassworkers thought would sell. Provided by The Conversation This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.