Did the Romans have glass windows? The answer is yes! Green, blue, yellow or colourless, windows had various shapes and uses. However, how this window glass was produced in Roman times is still a matter of debate among scientists. At UNamur, archaeologists are trying to unravel the secrets of this production, in partnership with glass craftsmen and Malagne, the Rochefort archaeopark. This experiment is part of the doctoral thesis conducted at UNamur by Géraldine Frère, under the supervision of Professor Julian Richard.
Since 2019, Géraldine Frère has been studying the production and use of window glass between the 1st and 5th centuries in Belgian Gaul and Lower Germania, a vast area that corresponds to present-day Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and northern France. His research is at the origin of the Specularia project (from specularis, glass or windows in Latin).
Experimenting with a process that has never been attempted
The project aims to decipher the practices of Roman craftsmen by recreating two "ancient" glass furnaces within the archaeopark. The first will be used for melting the material, the other for annealing it, two essential stages in the production of glass. The experiment will be conducted by Géraldine Frère with the help of glass artisans (Allain Guillot and "Les infondus") who will use "Roman-style" techniques and tools, specially designed on the basis of previous experiments and traces found on fragments of ancient glass. The glass will be shaped using a process that is new and different from anything that has been tested so far: the molten glass will be picked up from the furnace, placed on a surface with a frame that has been heated beforehand, and then stretched with the help of tools until a rectangular shape is obtained.
A scientific and educational objective
This project will allow students from the Department of Art History and Archaeology to follow an experimental archaeology project in the Namur region. The public will also be able to see the progress of the experiment, from the construction of the ovens in the archaeopark to the casting of the glass, culminating in the "Gallo-Roman Rendezvous" organised on 15-16 July 2023. The results of the experiments will be scientifically evaluated as part of the Specularia research project.
Participatory funding
To carry out this experiment, the Archaeology Department is seeking €10,000. This sum will be used entirely to buy the materials needed to build the furnaces and cast the glass (wood, clay, sand, tiles, etc.) in the archaeopark and to finance the work of the glassmakers during the experiment (May-July 2023).
If you wish to advance knowledge of Gallo-Roman archaeology, you can join the project team by contributing to its funding. Each gesture of support, small or large, will also be a moral encouragement to pursue these innovative research and teaching projects in the field of archaeology at the UNamur!
Support the project and receive a gift from Malagne, the Rochefort archaeopark
Depending on the amount of your donation, you will receive one of the rewards offered by the archaeopark (free entrance and guided tours, participation in the Gallo-Roman weekend...). Go to the project page!
All donations of €40 or more made to UNamur, either online or by bank transfer, are tax-deductible and entitle you to a 45% tax reduction. A donation of €100 will actually cost you €55 after tax deduction.
Thank you for your support!