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Glass
History
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The
glass origin and evolution. 
Glass has been the subject of numerous documents written
by many authors from ancient times. The written work of the
Roman historian Gaius Plinius Secundus, called Pliny the Elder
(23 – 79 AD), in his book, “Natural History”,
is an example ... |
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The
origin and evolution of materials for glass.
In order to study the origins of glass, we must date back
to the Middle East, around the fourth or fifth century before
Christ and to the geographical area from Egypt to the Mesopotamian
Valley, where the first stable societies settled down ... |
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The
earliest vestiges of glass come from Egypt.
Most of the researchers assure that the elaboration of glass
was originated in Mesopotamia ... |
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Vitreous
Composition.
Egyptian faience or vitreous composition was not thoroughly
studied until recent times. European archaeologists gave faience
its name because it resembles the European tin-glazed earthenware
‘majolica’ or European faience ... |
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Studies
performed by the Cairo Museum.
For many years, faience was identified as “Egyptian
earthenware” mainly because its components were not clearly
identified ... |
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Vitreous
Composition Evolution Process.
Egyptians called glass and vitreous composition “iner
en wedeh”, which means ‘flowing rock’ or ‘pouring
rock’ ... |
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Color
and symbolism.
Great quantities of scientific studies have been performed
regarding the use of color in Egyptian art, mainly to try to
understand why special and specific chromatic sets were used
to represent specific deities ... |
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Glass
in Jewelry.
The history of Egyptian jewelry inlayed with vitreous composition
goes back to the beginnings of the dynastic period ... |
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Glass
blowing scenes.
Faience, along with glass and gold, was elaborated in craft
workshops. Numerous paintings and other depictions found in
tombs in Saqqara, Beni Hasan and Thebes give testimony of this
fact ... |
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Beni
Hassan.
Beni Hasan is a village to the east of the Nile, about 25
km (16 mi.) from Tell el-Amarna. There, we can find 39 tombs
caved on the rocks, dating from the 11th and 12th dynasties
of the Middle Kingdom (c.2133-1786 BC) ... |
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Thebes.
There is a site in Thebes known as Deir el-Medineh which
is located on the mountain called Meret Seyer (The Mountain
that loves Silence). Not far from the Valley of the Kings, the
tombs and the remains of what used to be an artisan villa still
subsist ... |
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First great glass center of ancient times.
Tuthmosis III, pharaoh of the New Kingdom (1539 –1069
BC), who went down in history for undertaking the task of acquiring
the domain of Syria and Palestine and for personally collecting
the taxes on yearly basis, founded the first glass center in
Egypt. ... |
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Techniques used in Ancient Egypt
for glass production
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The fusing of glass was a very rudimentary process. The
furnaces found at Tell el-Amarna, where very simple earthenware
casseroles were used for the fusing, act as element of proof
... |
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Glass production in Alexandria .
If Egyptians mastered the primary techniques for glass elaboration,
why are there no vestiges of blown glass pieces from this time,
and they appear until the Romans produced them in large quantities
in Alexandria? ... |
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The glass industry in the Mediterranean .
The glass industry developed in Egypt, Mesopotamia and in
the Aegean Sea zone at the same pace. Glass beads for necklaces
and coloured opaque pearls have been found in Mesopotamia ...
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Glass diffusion in classic ancient times.
After the year 300 BC., with the conquering of kingdoms
by Alexander the Great, important changes came about in the
political and cultural scenes of the civilized world. Alexandria,
recently founded, became the glass center of the Hellenistic
culture ... |
