Glass of the Roman World

Edited by Justine Bayley, Ian Freestone and Caroline Jackson

Imprint: Oxbow Books

232 Pages, 216 x 279 mm, b/w and colour illustrations

£35.00
Paperback
9781789253399
July 2019

North America

UK & Rest of World

BUY

£45.00
Hardcover
9781782977742
June 2015

North America

BUY

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Description
Contents
Authors
Praise

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 honour of Jenny Price, a foremost scholar of Roman glass.

Acknowledgements Contributors Preface Introduction: Jennifer Price and her contribution to the study of Roman glass Jennifer Price Publications Section 1: Technology and Production Marie-Dominique Nenna 1. Primary glass workshops in Graeco-Roman Egypt: Preliminary report on the excavations of the site of Beni Salama, Wadi Natrun (2003, 2005–9) Anna-Barbara Follmann-Schulz 2. The Hambach glass production in the late Roman period John Shepherd 3. A Gazetteer of glass working sites in Roman London Caroline Jackson and Harriet Foster 4. Provenance studies and Roman glass David Whitehouse 5. The pontil in the Roman world: A preliminary survey Ian C. Freestone and Colleen P. Stapleton 6. Composition, technology and production of coloured glasses from Roman mosaic vessels E. Marianne Stern 7. Roman glass from East to West Section 2: Vessels and their Forms Souen Fontaine and Danièlle Foy 8. Mould-blown beakers with figurative scenes: New data on Narbonensis province Birgitta Hoffmann 9. Roman and later glass from the Fezzan Yael Israeli 10. Some exceptional glass vessels from Caesarea Maritima Daniel Keller 11. Glass in the domestic space: Contextual analysis of Late Roman glass assemblages from Ephesus and Petra Martine Newby Haspeslagh 12. A Roman dionysiac cameo glass vase Sally Cottam 13. An unusual mould-blown beaker from Barzan, south-west France Section 3: Other Uses of Glass Sarah Jennings 14. Flat glass from Butrint and its surrounding areas, Albania Heidi Amrein 15. Two wooden glazing bars found in Vindonissa (Switzerland) from the collection of the Swiss National Museum Sylvia Fünfschilling 16. The reuse of Roman glass fragments Justine Bayley 17. Roman enamels and enamelling Peter Cosyns 18. Beyond the Channel! That’s quite a different matter. A comparison of Roman black glass from Britannia, Gallia Belgica and Germania Inferior

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.

“The volume is well designed with ample illustrations and photographs, many in colour, throughout. It is extremely useful for both the specialist (if the myriad bookmarks left in my copy for future reference are an indication) and for the generalist or student of ancient technology seeking good overviews of particular aspects of the Roman glass industry.” ~Journal of Hellenistic Pottery