1600–Year-Old Glass Workshop Discovered in Israel

A newly discovered glass workshop reveals that Israel was an important center for glass production in Roman times.

During excavations prior to a road construction in the Carmel Mountains a team of archaeologist from the Israel Antiquities Authority discovered glass kilns dating to the 4-5th century AD. (Late Roman period).

The kilns that were exposed right next to the train tracks. (Assaf Peretz, Israel Antiquities Authority)

Yael Gorin-Rosen, head curator of the Israel Authority Glass Department said in a press release:

“This is a very important discovery with implications regarding the history of the glass industry both in Israel and in the entire ancient world. We know from historical sources dating to the Roman period that the Valley of ‘Akko was renowned for the excellent quality sand located there, which was highly suitable for the manufacture of glass. Chemical analyses conducted on glass vessels from this period which were discovered until now at sites in Europe and in shipwrecks in the Mediterranean basin have shown that the source of the glass is from our region. Now, for the first time, the kilns have been found where the raw material was manufactured that was used to produce this glassware.”