About Medieval Glass  About Medieval Glass  Glass in Ancient
Rome  In the fourth and fifth centuries AD, the glassmakers of
the Roman world were in a class of their own. Glassmaking and
glassworking were separate activities. Glassmakers used tank
furnaces to melt several tons of raw materials in one operation,
and glass workers employed many techniques to make objects
ranging from simple household utensils to sophisticated luxury
objects.  Cage cups are among the Romans’ most remarkable
creations in glass. An undecorated “blank” with a very thick
wall was entrusted to a cold worker, who used cutting wheels and
hand tools to remove two-thirds of the glass, leaving an
openwork “cage” that enclosed the container. The %%metal%%
attachments show that this cage cup was a lamp intended for
suspension. The bowl contained oil and a wick, perhaps floating
on a piece of cork. Imagine the patterns of light and shade
%%cast%% by the flame when it shone through the cage.  The
Migration Period  Cone beaker  The fifth and si