Glass has been produced for millennia, initially being an admired material crafted by only a few gifted artisans. The earliest glass artifacts were discovered in Mesopotamia from around 2500 BC, though materials mimicking glass were used even earlier in Egypt. True glass production began around 1500 BC in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. The Greeks and Romans further advanced glassmaking techniques, with the Romans pioneering glass blowing which allowed for intricate patterns and mass production of vessels. Sadigh Gallery has a collection of ancient Roman glass artifacts including mosaics, beads and vessels available at wholesale prices.

1. Glass is a hard substance, often brittle and typically transparent or translucent. Glass is seen around us every day,
from windows, to light bulbs, to drinking cups and so on. It can come in different varieties, textures and hues.
These are one of the few characteristics that have made glass one of the most admired and sought-after substance
for Millennia. As a result of how commonplace glass is, one tends to overlook its history and the level of crafts-
manship involved in its production. Manipulating glass is no easy feat, even by today’s modern standards. This
is the reason why glass production in the ancient worlds was only practiced by a few and exceptionally gifted
craftsmen and their works were revered by noblemen and kings.
The earliest true glass from Western Civilization was excavated in Mesopotamia and dates from around 2500
BC. Most of glass objects from this era were opaque and made to replicate popular precious gems such as lapis
lazuli. They were not glass as we know them today. Even in ancient Egypt, glass-like materials were used before
the production of glass itself. An example is the Egyptian faience, a popular material used in the production of
amulets and small vessels. Faience is a mixture of quartz sand with an alkali binder, some of the major compo-
nents of glass. It was then molded, and fired, causing a bright glaze to migrate to the surface.
It was not until 1500 BC that the first glass vessels were made in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia by a method
known as Core-forming. This style which was the industry standard for over 1000 years is especially prevalent
in ancient Mesopotamian and Phoenician vessels which were characterized by wound repetitive festoons around
their body and neck.
Alexander the Great’s conquest of the Near East and the Mediterranean introduced glass artifacts to a new audi-
ence. The Hellenes (Greeks) around the time of this conquest were the wealthiest in the ancient world and their
exotic tastes went beyond that of gold and silver. Glass was also considered valuable and was extensively sought
after. This gave rise to glass being used in the production of everyday objects such as kitchen utensils as against
vessels.
The rise of Rome, from 40 BC to 650 AD and the declining influence of the Greeks affected glass production
techniques. The ancient Romans manipulated glass production to suit their taste. They pioneered the glass-blow-
ing technique which is the greatest achievement in glass production to date. Realizing that glass can be inflated
opened up a new world of possibilities. Glass can then be shaped into intricate patterns. Beads made out of glass
were also common. Glass blowing led to mass production of vessels as it was an inexpensive and extremely fast
process. This is the reason why most of the ancient glass collected today is from ancient Rome. Glass art was
also incorporated in other forms of Roman art such as mosaics which consists of glass paste, marble, terracotta,
pearl, shells, enamels, gold and silver.
Sadigh Gallery has an extensive collection of these aforementioned ancient Roman artifacts. Glass mosaic, beads
and vessels are all available at affordable wholesale prices.