Glass of the Roman World

Justine Bayley · Ian Freestone · Caroline Jackson

Jul 2015 · Oxbow Books

About this ebook

Glass of the Roman World illustrates the arrival of new cultural systems, mechanisms of trade and an expanded economic base in the early 1st millennium AD which, in combination, allowed the further development of the existing glass industry. Glass became something which encompassed more than simply a novel and highly decorative material. Glass production grew and its consumption increased until it was assimilated into all levels of society, used for display and luxury items but equally for utilitarian containers, windows and even tools.

These 18 papers by renowned international scholars include studies of glass from Europe and the Near East. The authors write on a variety of topics where their work is at the forefront of new approaches to the subject. They both extend and consolidate aspects of our understanding of how glass was produced, traded and used throughout the Empire and the wider world drawing on chronology, typology, patterns of distribution, and other methodologies, including the incorporation of new scientific methods. Though focusing on a single material the papers are firmly based in its archaeological context in the wider economy of the Roman world, and consider glass as part of a complex material culture controlled by the expansion and contraction of the Empire. The volume is presented in honor of Jenny Price, a foremost scholar of Roman glass.

About the author

Justine Bayley worked at the Ancient Monuments Laboratory, now part of English Heritage, from 1973-2010, leading its Technology Team from 1981. Their work included identifying remains of past industries and examining and analysing finds from archaeological excavations. She acted as scientific advisor and specialist contributor to many EH- and developer-funded archaeological projects as well as carrying out a range of research projects.

Ian Freestone is Professor of Archaeological Materials and Technology at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London. His previous career included a Professorial position in Archaeology at Cardiff University and as a scientist at the British Museum. He is a specialist in early materials and technologies and is currently interested in early glass industries.

Caroline Jackson is Reader in Archaeological Meterials in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Sheffield. Her research interests are in the study and scientific analysis of archaeological materials, specialising in glass and other vitreous materials such as faience, particularly relating to Bronze Age Egypt and the Aegean and on Roman glasses from consumption contexts.