The ancient Roman Empire reached far beyond Italy at its peak, including Spain, Britain, and Germany. Archaeologists are still finding traces of this strong civilisation, such as opulent mansions and missing roadways. While the majority of these finds are shattered shards, archaeologists in the Netherlands were fortunate enough to find a rare Roman glass bowl in excellent form.
The 2,000-year-old artifact was discovered in Nijmegen, the Netherlands’ oldest city, which was founded by the Romans as a garrison outpost. The medium-sized bowl was discovered without chips or fractures by archaeologist Pepijn van de Geer and his colleagues, who swiftly established that it was “of Roman manufacture” and most likely created in a glass workshop in Germany or Italy. It’s dark blue in color and has a ridged pattern on the sides.
According to the Dutch regional newspaper De Stentor, “such dishes were manufactured by letting molten glass to cool and harden over a mold.” “While the glass mixture was still liquid, the stripe design was drawn in.” “A blue color is caused by metal oxide.” In addition to the bowl, archaeologists discovered buildings, wells, daily things, jewelry, and even burials, all of which provided insight into Roman life.
In Nijmegen, Netherlands, an old city that was formerly a Roman town, a blue Roman glass bowl was discovered. It’s thought to be almost 2,000 years old.
h/t: [Open Culture]