Description

This entirely unique item was hand-blown by one of the few remaining skilled craftsmen of the Hebron Glass Factory. Watch the video to see the captivating way they blow these glass items without the use of any machinery.

The earliest historian to write about glass making was Pliny the Elder. He wrote about how the Phoenicians unintentionally discovered this craft on the Mediterranean coast near the mouth of the Belus river:

A ship belonging to traders in soda once called here, so the story goes, and they spread out along the shore to make a meal. There were no stones to support their cooking-pots, so they placed lumps of soda from their ship under them. When these became hot and fused with the sand on the beach, streams of an unknown liquid flowed, and this was the origin of glass. (Pliny, 362)

In the 1st and 2nd centuries Phoenician glass-blowers maintained a high standard in blowing techniques all through the Roman period. The wealthy people of Jesus’ day would have had items similar to this one in their homes. Now they’re being fabricated in the same old fashion by the Hebron Glass company. They often add silver or other substances to the molten glass to give the vases a distinct swirly pattern with nice contrasting colors.

Please take note: This item and the other Phoenician Vases on display are often very unique in both shape and color.