The Oasis of Glass
2009
Directed by Raymond Collet
Collection The Skills of Archaeology
This is the story of the discovery in Egypt of the first glass-melting furnaces, dating from the Early Roman period. Based on research in archives and libraries, prospections were carried out on foot in the Alexandria region and in the oasis of Wadi Natrun, followed by geophysical surveys. Primary glassmakers' workshops were located in this oasis. The excavations carried out since 2003 by Marie-Dominique Nenna and her team have led to an exceptional discovery: the unearthing of the largest glass furnaces of antiquity, reverberatory tank furnaces. The slabs of raw glass produced could weigh between 15 and 20 tonnes.