This week in glass news, archeologists in Israel have discovered an ancient kiln that produced “Judean glass” for the Roman Empire. The kiln, which is approximately 1,600 years old (making it the oldest kiln in Israel), produced raw material glass in such quantities so as to provide for all of the Roman Empire, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).
Workers at the kiln would take local sand and salt and heat it to approximately 2,200°F for one to two weeks, the result of which would produce chunks of raw glass up to 10 tons in weight. After cooling, the large chunks of raw glass would be broken into smaller pieces to be sold to workshops where they would be made into glassware, including windows, mosaics, and fixtures. The site was found accidentally near Haiifa during construction for the Jezreel Valley Railway Project.
More news from around the web:
1) Solar Energy Collecting Magic Carpets in Space
2) Engineer 3D printing with Mars and Moon Dust
3) U.S. Army and HotEnd Works Explore 3D Printing for Ceramic Body Armor
4) Print Photos on Corning Gorilla Glass
Are you interested in news stories on a particular topic? Send your suggestions to me at laidlawm@bnpmedia.com.