It is quite remarkable that the basic way in which glass is made has not changed for centuries. It was with simple additions to recipes and improvements in production that crudely fashioned, practical glass items became a global industry.

Author William S. Ellis describes the early origins of glass up to our modern glass industry in his 1998 book Glass: From the First Mirror to Fiber Optics, the Story of the Substance That Changed the World. Ellis writes that glass was made for at least a thousand years before the blowpipe was first used in the first or second century B.C., which was the first important new development. It enabled easy creation of new shapes and forms.

Blowpipe Changes Glassmaking in the Roman Empire

It was during the time of the Roman Empire after Christ that glassmaking was refined. Early craftsmen discovered that adding a bit of antimony and manganese would create clear glass, removing the greenish hue that results from iron in the sand. During this period, glass was produced in Syria, Spain, North Africa and Britain.