The Kelsey Museum is pleased to present the next FAST lecture (Field Archaeology Series on Thursday) on Thursday, October 2, in the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, Newberry Hall, Room 125. Refreshments will be served at 5:30 p.m. and the talk will begin at 6 p.m. Dr. Tassos Antonaras, curator at the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki, Greece, will present a talk entitled "Glass in Late Roman and Early Byzantine Periods." Learn how a single innovation—glassblowing—turned glass from an elite treasure into a material that defined Roman and Byzantine art, architecture, and worship. From luxury objects to everyday material, glass transformed life in the Roman and Byzantine worlds. The invention of glassblowing in the 1st century BCE made glass widely available, fueling the production of vessels, jewelry, mosaics, and windows across the empire. In the Byzantine era, glass took on new spiritual roles—illuminating churches with lamps, windows, and glittering mosaics. This talk traces the journey of glass from eastern Mediterranean workshops to households and sacred spaces, revealing how one innovation reshaped daily life and worship.
FAST lectures are free and open to the public.
