Speaker: Denise Allen

Denise will explain the wide range of manufacturing techniques and uses of glass during the Roman period. Glass is a wonderful material: malleable, durable, beautiful and recyclable. It was first manufactured from sand and soda two millennia before the Romans came to Britain, in areas where the ingredients were available. Coloured to produce a rainbow of hues, it was used for inlays, jewellery and simple vessels. The discovery that glass could be blown occurred later, as the Roman Empire was expanding. The invasion of Britain came at a time when glass vessels were being produced in great variety and number, arriving here as personal possessions and trade items. The first glass windows also date from this time. Dr Denise Allen completed her PhD on Roman Glass in Britain and has studied and reported on excavated Roman glass fragments for over 40 years. She was a Director and Guide Lecturer for Andante Travels for many years and is co-author of Roman Britain and where to find it.