Call us at 888.619.2226

Tag Archive for: ancient glass

Archaeologists find 2,000 year old Polish glass factory

/in , /by
Archaeologists find 2,000 year old Polish glass factory

Archaeologists find 2,000 year old Polish glass factory

Archaeologists have discovered a 2,000-year old workshop that apparently produced glass and metal products. The site, on Mount Grojec in south central Poland, contained furnaces, glass beads, glass making equipment, grinders and waste glass. According to the researchers, the factory took in raw glass and metal from elsewhere and created finished goods at the site.

The team plans to examine the raw glass for clues about its origins. The researchers, from the University of Wroclaw, suspect that the materials could have come from as far away as the Mediterranean. The find is surprising because archaeologists had previously thought that no glass making facilities existed in Poland prior to the Middle Ages.

Proof that glass and metal were worked extensively in the area changes the way archaeologists think about the societies that occupied the areas at the time. Evidence of human habitation in the area dates back to the 5th and 6th centuries, BC, but until the discovery of the glass furnaces, researchers had not been able to determine that significant economic activity had taken place there.

Archaeologists found large quantities of glass products near the furnaces. Included in the finds were colored beads and cracked objects that had been abandoned by their makers due to production defects. Crucibles at the site are believed to have been used for smelting bronze. In addition, the archaeologists found grinders, which would have been used to make finished goods.

Also in the area surrounding the glass furnaces were a few buildings that appeared to be homes. Despite the finds, the archaeologists know little about the people who inhabited the area during the time the glass factory was operational. The initial area was excavated from 2012-2014, but the researchers will publish their findings this spring.
Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. Glassprimer™ glass paint can be used in both interior and exterior applications and can help reduce solar heat gain in some applications. For more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Pawel Kabanski, via Flickr.com

Glass was an ancient status symbol

/in , /by

Glass was an ancient status symbol

Glass was an ancient status symbol

An archaeology researcher from the University of Leicester in the UK believes that early civilizations used glass as a status symbol rather than as a practical material. Dr. Chloe Duckworth says that ancient civilizations invested in technologies like glassmaking more as a display of power.

She bases the hypothesis on the examples of early glasses, most of which were opaque or heavily colored. They often resembled semi-precious and precious materials like lapis lazuli and carnelian, which were used extensively by the wealthiest and most powerful people in society. Early examples of glass were almost exclusively used in decorative applications, and as containers for perfumes and oils that would not have been available to ordinary citizens.

Duckworth looked at the evolution of glass blowing and determined that it was a response to societal needs rather than a driver. She believes that glass may have originally been envisioned as a way to fill a social need, and did not morph into a useful material that was available to the masses until much later in the material’s history. She points to modern uses for glass, including fiber optic cables and precision lenses, and says that early developers of the material did not see the practical uses of glass, even for more mundane applications like windows and practical storage containers.

Today, we tend to look beyond the decorative capacity of glass and focus on its most practical applications. In reality, glass can be both practical and decorative. One characteristic of glass is its impervious surface. On one hand, it allows light to flow freely through it. On the other hand, opacity is sometimes preferred.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store

Photo Credit: Daniel Jolivet, via Flickr.com