As in the modern day, glassware in antiquity was considered an art form, with the best pieces were valued higher than wares made from precious metals. By the 1st century AD, the technique of glass-blowing had revolutionised the art of glass-making. The new technique allowed craftsmen to use smaller amounts of glass for each vessel and obtain much thinner walls, so enabling the creation of small medicine, incense, and perfume containers in new forms. Glass vessels are found frequently at Hellenistic and Roman sites, especially in cemeteries, and the liquids, which filled them, would have been gathered from all corners of the expansive Roman Empire. A large part of ancient glassworks was also designed for tableware use, in particular for carrying and serving water and wine at banquets.
To find out more about Roman glass please see our relevant blog post: Collecting Roman Glass.
