This book is an interdisciplinary exploration of archaeological glass in which technological, historical, geological, chemical, and cultural aspects of the study of ancient glass are combined. The book examines why and how this unique material was invented some 4,500 years ago and considers the ritual, social, economic, and political contexts of its development. The book also provides an in-depth consideration of glass as a material, the raw materials used to make it, and its wide range of chemical compositions in both the East and the West from its invention to the seventeenth century AD. Julian Henderson focuses on three contrasting archaeological and scientific case studies: Late Bronze Age glass, late Hellenistic-early Roman glass, and Islamic glass in the Middle East. He considers in detail the provenances of ancient glass using scientific techniques and discusses a range of vessels and their uses in ancient societies.

A detailed interdisciplinary exploration of ancient glass, examining why and how glass was invented and various contexts of its subsequent development and use.

About the Author
Julian Henderson is Chair of Archaeological Science in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Nottingham. The author of The Science and Archaeology of Materials, he has published more than 200 contributions to books and journals, including in Antiquity, the Journal of Archaeological Science, the Journal of Glass Studies, and the Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectroscopy.


Book Information
ISBN 9781107551909
Author Julian Henderson
Format Paperback
Page Count 453
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 950g
Dimensions(mm) 253mm * 177mm * 20mm