Around the first year of the AD, due to the promotion of the Romans and their strict production process, glass achieved great success. Glassblowing (a technique brought to Rome from Syria) enabled artisans (often slaves) to make glass cups and bowls much faster than before. Cheap glasses began to appear on the market. Soon, the popularity of glass among ordinary Romans rivaled that of ceramics. Artists began experimenting with richer forms of art with glass, creating Rose Janus face vases and wine bottles decorated with scenes of nativity. Builders began to use glass for Windows, but because the glass was cloudy and heavy, the purpose was not so much for lighting as for safety and insulation. We find traces of glass Windows throughout Rome and surrounding cities, including luxurious tiles and well-preserved bathhouses in Pompeii.

Moreover, tempered insulated glass units are increasingly popular in specialized environments such as laboratories and clean rooms, where durability and cleanliness are crucial. Their ability to withstand temperature fluctuations without breaking makes them ideal for various industrial applications as well.

While some natural glass does exist in nature, such as black stone and talc, the vast majority of glass is fired by humans at high temperatures. As far as we know, the origin of glass dates back to the Bronze Age of Mesopotamia. About 4,000 years ago, humans began melting silica (sand or crushed stone) and mixing it with small amounts of limestone and soda ash. According to Pliny, the invention of glass was a happy accident: the Roman historian suggested that glass was accidentally acquired by Phoenician sailors in the course of a beach picnic, but since there were no flames at the time capable of reaching temperatures high enough to melt sand, this view is questionable. Contemporary historians believe that glass may have been discovered in the process of making ceramics or working metals. These two processes require higher firing temperatures and longer firing times than baking bread or roasted leg of lamb.

(2) Glass

As the Renaissance dawned, the art of glass-making continued to evolve. Artists like those in Murano, Italy, became renowned for their exquisite glass designs, employing techniques such as millefiori and filigree. In the 19th century, the advent of industrialization introduced mass production techniques, yet there remained a niche market for handmade decorative glass. Today, the legacy of these traditions continues, inspiring a new generation of glass artists.

The origin of another type of glass, the lens, is difficult to trace, because lenses appeared some time before the first year of the AD. In the Islamic world during the 10th century, optics emerged as an important field of study, and mathematicians and scientists made great strides in understanding and regulating light. During the Renaissance, philosophers, scientists, and thinkers used lenses to see the physical world - the stars above us (the telescope was invented in 1608) and the earth below us (after the microscope was made in 1625). Glass has long been seen as a material capable of providing light in a literal sense, but it's worth remembering that glass also laid the foundation for much of our enlightenment.