The History of Glass

Glass production is 5000 years old. Until the 1st century BC when blowing appeared in the Middle East, glass objects were mainly ornaments and small containers for cosmetics. Tiberius created a glass industry in Rome to satisfy the local customers more easily. Very soon, the western European glassmakers learnt to make glass themselves instead of importing ingots and processing them in secondary workshops. The collapse of the Roman Empire did not mean the disappearance of a product that has proved so useful. The art of glass was renewed during the Middle Age: stained glass windows appeared in numerous churches and cathedrals that were built all over Europe. The crusades enhanced the movement with new techniques coming from the East.