Glass was often the preferred material for storing expensive oils, perfumes, and medicines in antiquity because it was not porous. By the 1st century AD, the technique of glassblowing had revolutionised the art of glassmaking, allowing for the production of medicine, incense, and perfume containers in new forms and shapes. Glass vessels are found frequently at Hellenistic and Roman sites, especially in cemeteries, and the liquids that filled them would have been gathered from all corners of the expansive Roman Empire.
To discover more about Roman perfumes and cosmetics, please visit our relevant blog post: Roman Glass: Unguentaria and Cosmetics.
