As you know, the glass that we use in everyday life is an artificial material. But he has a natural analogue - obsidian. It is a frozen volcanic lava or molten rock. It was obsidian that was used by primitive people for the manufacture of various cutting tools, as well as jewelry.
Man-made glass, whose history of origin will be discussed below, at first differed little from natural. It could not boast of either beauty or transparency.
History of the invention of glass: legends and conjectures
The ancient researcher Pliny the Elder cites in his writings that artificial glass appeared due to travelers who cooked on the sandy shore and used a piece of natural soda as a stand under the boiler. The next day, a glass crust was discovered on the outside of the boiler. Pliny's hypothesis was disproved only in the 20th century. Scientists have proved that it is impossible to melt glass on an open fire. However, already several millennia ago, the inhabitants of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia learned to melt glass in pits. The temperature in these primitive furnaces was high enough to form new material from sand, alkali and lime. However, the first man-made glass, most likely, was really created by chance during the production of pottery.
Ancient technology
The history of glass in the history of mankind has more than 4 thousand years. Images and artifacts found in the tombs of the pharaohs give an idea of the ancient methods of production and taste preferences of the Egyptians. So, glass was originally used as a glaze for pottery. Also made of it beads, bottles and pendants. The Egyptians, in contrast to the inhabitants of Mesopotamia, preferred opaque glass. It was stained with metal oxides in blue, violet, yellow and other colors. Only officials and royal bloods could afford glassware. Small objects were made by the following method: a clay core was placed on a metal rod, on which hot glass was wound.
Large ones were made like this: the mold was placed in a glass mass and turned. Glass was deposited on the walls with a thin layer and solidified, and the mold was subsequently removed.
The evolution of production. Antiquity
The history of glass (man-made, of course) is reflected in many museum collections. Considering the collections of Egyptian antiquities, we can conclude that the oldest products did not differ in complexity. Details were smelted separately and stuck to the main volume. The Egyptians also practiced the manufacture of mosaic (typesetting) glass, which was used to decorate furniture. After several centuries, this technique was adopted and perfected by the Romans. In addition, shortly before the beginning of our era, artisans from Alexandria invented a glass blower. With its help, a bubble was blown from the hot mass and gradually shaped into it with various special tools. In addition to free blowing, in antiquity, blowing in the matrix became widespread. Sometimes masters used a whole complex of forms, from which they then assembled the finished product. The method allowed to produce complex glass structures. Moreover, the Romans learned to glaze windows. Antique window glass was rather muddy and very thin and cast (presumably) in flat forms.
Middle Ages and Renaissance. Achievements of the Venetians
The Romans contributed to the spread of glassmaking in Europe. True, local (in particular, Cologne) products were inferior in quality to oriental ones, but German craftsmen invented flat glass. In composition, it was not much different from the modern one. Masters from Venice went even further. The history of glass in the history of mankind is unthinkable without the contribution of the Venetians. They purposefully worked to improve the properties of the material and achieved its exceptional transparency. Protectionist policies regarding local production have borne fruit: the local crystal was highly regarded in Europe.
In addition to dishes and sheet glass, Venetian craftsmen made lenses for glasses and mirrors. Almost half of the city’s population was engaged in glass making. The workshops were even moved to the island of Murano in order to avoid city fires and information leakage. Of course, the Venetians also had competitors, primarily Genoese artisans. But an analogue of Murano glass was obtained by the Englishman John Ravencroft only in the 17th century.
The history of the appearance of glass in Russia. Craft development
In Russia, this expensive material came from Byzantium. In the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, archaeologists unearthed glassmaker workshops dating back to the 11th century. But there were few products, the secrets of craftsmanship were lost. Therefore, it is difficult to imagine whether there was a Russian history of glass. In the history of mankind, it often happened that many things had to be reinvented. The revival of the craft happened only in the 17th century (in 1639), when the Swede Yu Koyet built a factory for the production of window glass and pharmaceutical glassware near the capital. Thirty years later, the Izmailovsky plant was created. Luxury items were made here , mainly exquisite "amusing" goblets modeled on the Venetian ones.
In the 18th century, several glass factories began operating in the vicinity of St. Petersburg. Stained glass was reinvented. Products were painted with gold and silver, decorated with transparent and opaque enamels.
Contemporary glassmaking
In the 18-19 centuries, the history of glass in the history of mankind was determined by the industrial revolution. Throughout Europe, the production process has been improved. New furnaces appeared, the technology of drawing and processing the mass changed. Plants were built, the products of which were oriented to the average man, and not to the reigning persons. In other words, glass has become available. By the beginning of the 20th century, many small enterprises were operating in the middle zone of Russia, producing dishes and flat glass. True, they could not satisfy growing needs: the volume of imports remained high.
In 1959, British technologists invented a new method for stretching and leveling glass in a bath with molten tin. It is called the "float method." This technology, somewhat modernized, is also used in modern production.