Roman Conical Glass Beaker with Wheel-Cut Decoration

Imperial (Roman)-Late Antique
Possibly ca. 3rd century - 4th century

3 5/16 x 3 1/4 x 3 1/4 in. (8.4 x 8.2 x 8.3 cm)

This object has the following keywords:

• beakers - Refers to many varieties of relatively large drinking vessels without handles, cylindrical or conical in shape, with a flat base in the form of an open cup or goblet. Specifically, in archaeology refers to the tall wide-mouthed vessels produced by the Bell Beaker culture and found in certain early Bronze Age graves.
• glass - An amorphous, inorganic substance made by fusing silica (silicon dioxide) with a basic oxide; generally transparent but often translucent or opaque. Its characteristic properties are its hardness and rigidity at ordinary temperatures, its capacity for plastic working at elevated temperatures, and its resistance to weathering and to most chemicals except hydrofluoric acid. Used for both utilitarian and decorative purposes, it can be formed into various shapes, colored or decorated. Glass originated as a glaze in Mesopotamia in about 3500 BCE and the first objects made wholly of glass date to about 2500 BCE.

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