A Socio-Technical Archaeology of Roman Glassmaking

This seminar discusses evidence for Roman glassworking through the lens of Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) theory. I also encourage more holistic approaches to Roman glass chaînes opératoires (‘operating chains’) and the relationship between Roman glassworking and the Roman town/city. In the grander landscape of excavation publishing, the presence of Roman glassworking on a site is sometimes equated to perceived technological adeptness or the settlement’s cosmopolitan nature, but is otherwise not remarked much upon. My discussion concerns material from two Roman sites where I have worked: Spolverino in Tuscany and Ulpiana in Kosovo. The scope of this seminar is to advocate for broadening what we can say about glassworking at Roman sites beyond a simple presence/absence of behaviour and into considering inter-site connectivity and their place in the ever-shifting ‘glass-scape’ of the Mediterranean world.