Historical Glass

Historical glasses - replicas of past cultures

Ancient glasses "today and then". Historical glasses, such as Roman glasses, are omnipresent and taken for granted in our modern times, but that was not always the case.

Roman glass

The glassblowers of the ancient world had much worse conditions in which to make their products. The only link between antiquity and modernity is probably still the glassmaker's pipe.
When a glassblower today copies the shape of an ancient glass, it is not a question of copying the ancient piece exactly, but rather of finding the correct sequence of movements that the ancient glassblower had already internalised when making his glass.
It is precisely this search for the rhythm and sequence of the working process that is now part of the field of experimental archaeology, in order to get as close as possible to the ancient glass.

Materials and requirements for Roman glass

To make Roman glass, you need quartz sand (silica), a flux such as potash or soda, a stabiliser (lead or lime) and a very high temperature to fuse the elements together.
In addition to the raw materials, a good furnace is needed to make the crucibles with the glass mass. Once the raw materials have melted together in the crucible to form a liquid glass mass, the Roman glass can be made on a glass pipe.
Another chamber or room for slow cooling of the formed glass is essential, as the glass would shatter if cooled too quickly.

Tools for Roman glass

Archaeology unfortunately provides very little material on the ancient trade of glassmaking. Many wooden tools have disappeared into the ground over the millennia, and recovered glassmaking pipes are usually only fragments. Metal pliers are also rare finds. Most of the clues, however, come from old drawings and illustrations of the trade. These provide very precise information about the process and the tools made of wood, metal or tiles, such as moulds.
Moulding hollow glass is a technique of casting around a solid core. The glass mass is surrounded by a core of clay. Due to the intense heat, the clay core becomes brittle after cooling and can be easily removed.
Another method is free blowing, where the glass object is blown freely on the glass tube without the use of a mould.

Beautifully shaped Roman glasses...

for serving water and wine in style.
The Roman Glasses are made entirely by hand over the open fire of the glassblowing furnace. Due to the traditional production, the antique glasses have the "quality characteristics" of Roman glassware, such as small streaks and bubbles, just like all the original jewels of the Roman Empire.
The replicas can be used without restriction and should be on every Roman table.

Museum quality glass replicas

The artisans who work with us have decades of experience and still use the same glass furnaces as in Roman times. Der Römer Shop is the exclusive distributor in Germany for most of the Roman glassware! Let us inspire you to create your own Roman table!

FRVI - "enjoy

Each of the Roman glasses is therefore a real unique specimen!