Glass in Late Antiquity in the Near East

Abstract

<jats:p>This paper seeks to explore some of the possible connections between three late antique strands of glass technology and application in the Near East: windows, lighting, and finally, recycling. Glass has long been acknowledged to have influenced two major innovations in the use of internal space within the Roman world: firstly, during the Principate, when window-panes were first applied to bath-houses to maintain humidity and temperatures, whilst casting light into dark interiors, and secondly, in the 4th c. A.D., when oil-lights made of glass were finally adopted as an effective medium for ceiling-lighting.</jats:p>