Objects of these types were made in the Jalame workshop. Plate, 70.1.39; Pitcher, 54.1.96; Bowl, 72.1.7, Gift of the Israel Department of Antiquities; Beaker, 79.1.176, Gift of The Ruth Bryan Strauss Memorial Foundation. The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York.
Waste from glassblowing found at Jalame, Israel, made between 350 and 400. Lent by the Israel Antiquities Authority. The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York.
In the 1960s, archaeologists from the Corning Museum of Glass and University of Missouri, Columbia, excavated a glass workshop in Jalame, Israel which was active between 350–400 CE.
Artifacts on view from the excavation will include chunks of raw glass, parts of the glassmaking furnace, glassblowing debris, dozens of fragments from utilitarian glass vessels, and coins. These will be displayed alongside intact vessels of the types made at Jalame and other nearby workshops in the late 4th century. The Museum of Art and Archaeology at the University of Missouri, Columbia will loan archival photographs, notes, and other documents, along with glass and coins.
To accompany the exhibition, Dig Deeper: Discovering an Ancient Glass Workshop, The Corning Museum of Glass has released a 36-page comic-book-style publication exploring many of the themes and objects in the exhibition. Co-authored by exhibition curator Katherine Larson and UK-based archaeological illustrator John Swogger, the comic examines the history of the excavation of Jalame and its importance to the study of ancient glass; illustrates how furnaces for glass making and glass working operated; and features new discoveries made about the site and in the region. Illustrated by Swogger, the comic will delight younger readers as their first introduction to archaeology and ancient glass, but also serve as an accessible reference for students, professionals, and researchers.
Purchase a copy from the Shops at the Corning Museum of Glass (cmog.org)