Theme:
1. The Material Record: Current Trends and Future Directions
Session format:
Regular session
Title:
Going with the Flow: The Many Facets of Glass in Past Societies
Content:
This session is dedicated to the multifaceted evolution of glass use in past societies. Its key aim is to encourage speakers to take a closer look at the transmutable quality of this material, gathered – pun intended – at the intersection of utility and prestige, politics and spirituality, economy and cultural identity. Since its discovery, glass has served both practical and more complex, culturally inflected purposes. Its versatility, malleability, recyclability, and other physical characteristics allowed it to play many different roles in shaping the lived experiences of past societies: from apotropaic eye beads and everyday glassware to stained glass windows and telescope lenses offering links to the heavens. The diverse dimensions of glass use reflect the changing needs and aspirations of past peoples, and even today, glass continues to adapt, shape, and reflect distinct facets of contemporary societies.
We invite contributions that consider varied aspects of glass use and its meanings for past societies. We are particularly interested in research that reflects on the role of glass in the shaping of social structures, and investigates how glass was used to express cultural, religious, and aesthetic values. Furthermore, we encourage submissions that trace the impact of technological advancements, changing political landscapes, power dynamics, and cultural transformations on the changes in glass use, as well as the transitions in the meaning ascribed to glass. This session will bring together researchers working across different periods, themes, and aspects of ancient glass, in order to encourage a greater understanding of historical, economic, cultural, and symbolic significance of this exquisite material, among both specialists and the broader archaeological community.
Keywords:
glass, function, prestige, power, symbolism, change
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:
The Association for the History of Glass
Main organiser:
Ana Franjic (Belgium) 1
Co-organisers:
Charlotte Nash (United Kingdom) 2,3
Timothy Penn (United Kingdom) 4,5
Daniela Rosenow (United Kingdom) 6
Joëlle Rolland (France) 7
Affiliations:
1. KU Leuven
2. British Museum
3. University of Kent
4. University of Oxford
5. University of Reading
6. Griffith Institute, University of Oxford
7. CNRS, UMR 8215 Trajectoires
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