Page 55 - Lazar, Irena. 2022. Pogled skozi steklo / A Look Through the Glass. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem. Libri universitatis hereditati, 1
P. 55
ganese for decolouring glass, neutralizing The bowl was put in a grave together with roman glass production in celeia (nor icum) – new evidence 55
the iron oxides to acquire an entirely decoloured an iron nail, there were no other grave goods.
glass (Velde and Hochuli-Gysel 1996, 185). Frag- The upper part of the vessel, a hemispherical
ments of violet-coloured glass were rare, some bowl, was not yet cut off. The product is rath-
even showing a combination of decolourised and er thick and we may assume that it was part of
violet colour glass on one vessel. a vessel form Isings 96b (Isings 1957, 113; Rütti
1991, 95, AR 6; Lazar 2003a, 83, form 2.6.2.). The
The other fragments of glass vessels that base of the vessel is flat and slightly concave in
were discovered in Levstikova Street belonged to the centre, the rim was probably slightly stepped.
various forms, including pieces of mosaic glass,
ribbed bowls, square bottles with base marks, The form is dated to the 3rd century and on-
and glass with applied snake-thread decoration ward although some individual finds are known
(Lazar 1997, pl. 1–3), so far rather rare amongst also from the end of the 2nd century (Rütti 1991,
our glass material. If the earliest forms are con- 95). In Slovenia, these vessels appear in the 3rd
sidered to represent glass for recycling, produc- and 4th centuries (Lazar 2003b, 84). The unfin-
tion at this workshop can be assigned to the 2nd ished bowl was added to a grave that can be dat-
as well as to the 3rd century. Such a dating is also ed according to other graves of the necropolis to
based on the depth of the stratum in which the the 3rd or beginning of the 4th century.
remains were discovered, as it lay beneath the
level of the late Roman walls, dated to the end of The product proves the glass workshops in
the 3rd century. Celeia operated in the 3rd century and with some
speculation perhaps also at the beginning of the
Figure 23: Unfinished glass bowl was added to a late Ro- 4th century.
man grave (photo: Irena Lazar).
Slika 23: Nedokončana steklena skodelica je bila prilože- Two glass rods (figure/slika 24) from the
na v pozno rimskem grobu (foto: Irena Lazar). settlement area in Mariborska cesta are particu-
larly intriguing because they don’t belong to a
New excavations in 2003–2004, some- glass vessel. They are straight, small and quite
what to the north of the area excavated in 1992, thinly blown. Similar glass rods are known from
brought to light new elements, that confirm the two other sites in Slovenia. One was excavated in
existence of a glass working site in this part of Ptuj (Poetovio) (Korošec 2004, 68, fig. 1) where
the town. An unfinished glass bowl in a late Ro- the glass workshops operated in the 2nd and 3rd
man grave (gr. 35) (figure/slika 23), glass rods and centuries (Lazar 2003b, 79) and the second one
fragments of glassworking waste from the settle- in Slovenj Gradec (Colatio) (Djura Jelenko 2004,
ment area should be singled out. 106, pl. 38: 286). Is it possible that these glass
tubes are part of a glass-working process or even
glassblowing? If we could answer to this it would
mean that the glass-blowing experiments began
in the Roman provinces much earlier than so far
known. But at the moment, despite intriguing
finds, these questions remain unanswered.
The position of the Celje glass workshop
should be mentioned in the conclusion. In Ro-
man towns, all crafts that involved the use of
fires and kilns or furnaces were usually located
on the outskirts, as far as possible from the res-
idential buildings. The glass workers of Celeia
also sought their place on the northern edge of
the town, somewhat away from the densely set-
the iron oxides to acquire an entirely decoloured an iron nail, there were no other grave goods.
glass (Velde and Hochuli-Gysel 1996, 185). Frag- The upper part of the vessel, a hemispherical
ments of violet-coloured glass were rare, some bowl, was not yet cut off. The product is rath-
even showing a combination of decolourised and er thick and we may assume that it was part of
violet colour glass on one vessel. a vessel form Isings 96b (Isings 1957, 113; Rütti
1991, 95, AR 6; Lazar 2003a, 83, form 2.6.2.). The
The other fragments of glass vessels that base of the vessel is flat and slightly concave in
were discovered in Levstikova Street belonged to the centre, the rim was probably slightly stepped.
various forms, including pieces of mosaic glass,
ribbed bowls, square bottles with base marks, The form is dated to the 3rd century and on-
and glass with applied snake-thread decoration ward although some individual finds are known
(Lazar 1997, pl. 1–3), so far rather rare amongst also from the end of the 2nd century (Rütti 1991,
our glass material. If the earliest forms are con- 95). In Slovenia, these vessels appear in the 3rd
sidered to represent glass for recycling, produc- and 4th centuries (Lazar 2003b, 84). The unfin-
tion at this workshop can be assigned to the 2nd ished bowl was added to a grave that can be dat-
as well as to the 3rd century. Such a dating is also ed according to other graves of the necropolis to
based on the depth of the stratum in which the the 3rd or beginning of the 4th century.
remains were discovered, as it lay beneath the
level of the late Roman walls, dated to the end of The product proves the glass workshops in
the 3rd century. Celeia operated in the 3rd century and with some
speculation perhaps also at the beginning of the
Figure 23: Unfinished glass bowl was added to a late Ro- 4th century.
man grave (photo: Irena Lazar).
Slika 23: Nedokončana steklena skodelica je bila prilože- Two glass rods (figure/slika 24) from the
na v pozno rimskem grobu (foto: Irena Lazar). settlement area in Mariborska cesta are particu-
larly intriguing because they don’t belong to a
New excavations in 2003–2004, some- glass vessel. They are straight, small and quite
what to the north of the area excavated in 1992, thinly blown. Similar glass rods are known from
brought to light new elements, that confirm the two other sites in Slovenia. One was excavated in
existence of a glass working site in this part of Ptuj (Poetovio) (Korošec 2004, 68, fig. 1) where
the town. An unfinished glass bowl in a late Ro- the glass workshops operated in the 2nd and 3rd
man grave (gr. 35) (figure/slika 23), glass rods and centuries (Lazar 2003b, 79) and the second one
fragments of glassworking waste from the settle- in Slovenj Gradec (Colatio) (Djura Jelenko 2004,
ment area should be singled out. 106, pl. 38: 286). Is it possible that these glass
tubes are part of a glass-working process or even
glassblowing? If we could answer to this it would
mean that the glass-blowing experiments began
in the Roman provinces much earlier than so far
known. But at the moment, despite intriguing
finds, these questions remain unanswered.
The position of the Celje glass workshop
should be mentioned in the conclusion. In Ro-
man towns, all crafts that involved the use of
fires and kilns or furnaces were usually located
on the outskirts, as far as possible from the res-
idential buildings. The glass workers of Celeia
also sought their place on the northern edge of
the town, somewhat away from the densely set-
