Of all the technological achievements of
civilization, perhaps none so delights
the senses as glass. For thousands of
years, glass has been used to create
jewelry, works of art, and functional
objects of great beauty. In the Bible,
the value of glass is equated with that
of gold and silver, and it was indeed
treated by the ancients as a precious
substance. The origins of glass are lost
in the mists of time, but it most
probably was invented by the Egyptians
in the 4th millennium B.C. The Roman
naturalist Pliny attributes the
discovery of glassmaking to the
Phoenicians, and the cities of the
Levant were famous as centers for the
glass trade. The earliest glass was
opaque, colored in a variety of rich
hues that often imitated gems like lapis
and emerald. The Egyptians used it
extensively in jewelry and made little
distinction between the genuine and the
artificial gems. The art of glassblowing
and the development of transparent glass
both date to the Roman period. From
centers like Tyre and Alexandria, glass
vessels were exported throughout the
empire and as far east as Persia and
China. The Romans colored their glass in
myriad shades, favoring blue, green and
yellow, as well as clear. One of the
most fascinating properties of glass is
that, through oxidization, it acquires a
rich iridescent patina with age.
Brilliant as a peacock's tail, this
glass jewel is a piece of history that
appeals directly to the contemporary
eye.
- (FJ.4489)
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