This volumn covers 481 objects from the first century B.C. to the eighth century A.D.

The first half of this exquisitely illustrated book examines the earliest techniques for making glass, including casting, core-forming, and mosaic. All were used for centuries prior to the development of glass blowing, in which molten glass is inflated at the end of a hollow tube. This technique, which started in the middle of the first century, led to entirely new shapes and decorative approaches. The second half of the book looks at glass made during the Roman imperial period.

This volume explores glass composition and production from the mid-second to mid-first millennia BC, the first thousand years of glass-making. Multi-element analyses of 132 glasses from Pella in Jordan, and Nuzi and Nimrud in Iraq (ancient Mesopotamia) produce new and important data that provide insights into the earliest glass production.

Among glass craftsman active in the 1st century A.D., the most famous and gifted was Ennion, who hailed from the coastal city of Sidon in modern Lebanon. Ennion’s glass stood out for its quality and popularity. His products are distinguished by the fine detail and precision of their relief decoration, which imitates designs found on contemporaneous silverware. This compact, but thorough volume examines the most innovative and elegant known examples of Roman mold-blown glass, providing a uniquely comprehensive, up-to-date study of these exceptional works. Included are some twenty-six remarkably preserved examples of drinking cups, bowls, and jugs signed by Ennion himself, as well as fifteen additional vessels that were clearly influenced by him. The informative texts and illustrations effectively convey the lasting aesthetic appeal of Ennion’s vessels, and offer an accessible introduction to an ancient art form that reached its apogee in the early decades of the Roman Empire.

A landmark contribution to our knowledge of the Roman glass industry in the Western Mediterranean

The Corning Museum of Glass possesses the most celebrated collection of glass in the world, including the extensive world-renowned collection of Roman Glass.