As you know, the glass we use in everyday life is an artificial material. But it has a natural analogue - obsidian. It is solidified volcanic lava or fused rock. It was obsidian that was used by primitive people to make various cutting tools, as well as jewelry.
Man-made glass, the history of which will be discussed below, at first differed little from natural glass. It had neither beauty nor transparency.
The history of the invention of glass: legends and conjectures
The ancient researcher Pliny the Elder cites in his writings that artificial glass appeared thanks to travelers who cooked food on the sandy shore and used a piece of natural soda as a stand for the boiler. The next day, a glass crust was found on the outer walls of the boiler. Pliny's hypothesis was refuted only in the 20th century. Scientists have proved that it is impossible to melt glass on an open fire. However, already several millennia ago, the inhabitants of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia learnedmelt glass in the pits. The temperatures in these primitive kilns were high enough to form new material from the sand, lye and lime. However, the first man-made glass was most likely created by accident during the production of pottery.
Ancient technology
The history of glass in the history of mankind has more than 4 thousand years. Images and artifacts found in the tombs of the pharaohs give an idea of the ancient methods of production and taste preferences of the Egyptians. So, glass was originally used as a glaze for pottery. They also made beads, bottles and pendants from it. The Egyptians, unlike the inhabitants of Mesopotamia, preferred opaque glass. It was dyed with metal oxides in blue, violet, yellow and other colors. Only officials and persons of royal blood could afford glassware. Small objects were made by the following method: a clay core was placed on a metal rod, on which hot glass was wound.
Large ones were made like this: the form was placed in a glass mass and turned. The glass was deposited in a thin layer on the walls and hardened, and the mold was subsequently removed.
Evolution of production. Antiquity
The history of glass (man-made, of course) is reflected in many museum collections. Considering the collections of Egyptian antiquities, we can conclude that the oldest items were not complex. Details were melted separately and stuck to the main volume. Egyptians alsopracticed the manufacture of mosaic (typesetting) glass, which was used to decorate furniture. This technique was adopted and perfected by the Romans several centuries later. In addition, shortly before the beginning of our era, artisans from Alexandria invented the glass blowing pipe. With its help, a bubble was blown out of the hot mass and gradually shaped with various special tools. In addition to free blowing, blowing in a matrix became widespread in antiquity. Sometimes craftsmen used a whole complex of forms, from which they then assembled the finished product. The method made it possible to manufacture complex glass structures. Moreover, the Romans learned how to glaze windows. Antique window glass was rather hazy and very thin and was cast (presumably) in flat moulds.
Middle Ages and Renaissance. Achievements of the Venetians
The Romans contributed to the spread of glassmaking in Europe. True, local (in particular, Cologne) products were inferior in quality to eastern ones, but German craftsmen invented sheet glass. In terms of composition, it was not much different from the modern one. Masters from Venice went even further. The history of glass in the history of mankind is inconceivable without the contribution of the Venetians. They purposefully worked to improve the properties of the material and achieved its exceptional transparency. The policy of protectionism towards local production has borne fruit: the local crystal was highly valued in Europe.
Besides tableware and sheet glass, Venetian craftsmen made lenses for glasses and mirrors. Almosthalf of the city's population was employed in glass-making. The workshops were even moved to the island of Murano to avoid city fires and information leakage. Of course, the Venetians also had competitors, primarily Genoese artisans. But an analogue of Murano glass was obtained by the Englishman John Ravencroft only in the 17th century.
The history of the emergence of glass in Russia. Craft development
This expensive material came to Russia from Byzantium. In the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, archaeologists have unearthed workshops of glassmakers dating back to the 11th century. But few products survived, the secrets of craftsmanship were lost. Therefore, it is difficult to assume whether there was a Russian history of glass. In the history of mankind, it often happened that many things had to be reinvented. The revival of the craft happened only in the 17th century (in 1639), when the Swede Y. Koyet built a plant for the production of window glass and apothecary utensils near the capital. Thirty years later, the Izmailovsky plant was created. Luxurious items were made here, mainly exquisite "amusing" goblets modeled on Venetian ones.
In the 18th century, several glass factories started operating in the vicinity of St. Petersburg. Colored glass was reinvented. Products were painted with gold and silver, decorated with transparent and opaque enamels.
Modern glassmaking
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the history of glass in human history was shaped by the industrial revolution. Across Europe, there was an improvement in the production process. New furnaces appeared, changedtechnologies for stretching and mass processing. Factories were built, the products of which were focused on the layman, and not on the reigning persons. In other words, glass became available. By the beginning of the 20th century, many small enterprises were operating in central Russia, producing dishes and sheet glass. True, they could not meet the growing needs: the volume of imports remained high.
In 1959, British technologists invented a new way to stretch and straighten glass in a bath of molten tin. It is called the float method. This technology, somewhat modernized, is also used in modern production.
