Background Stage 18 Flashcards
How did glass makers come to Alexandria
When Alexandria was founded in 332 bc , craftsman flocked to the city to practise and Improve their skills , among these craftsman were glass makers
What is glass made from
Sand and sodium carbonate , produced from the ash of certain plants.
What’s the earliest use for glassmaking
Glazing pottery
What did glass makers experiment with
Different shapes and colours
What was discovered about glass
That if glass is heated until it becomes semi liquid that it can be shaped and left to harden.
How was glass first shaped
By wrapping molten glass around a clay or sand core, which had been moulded into the shape required . When the glass hardens the core is then scraped or washed out. This however was only suitable for making small vessels such as perfume containers
How do you make colured glass
By adding different chemicals. Blue green brown and white were the most commen colors
How were vessels decorated
By trailing thin lines of molten glass into the finished vessel. Often in typical Alexandrian style , known as millefiori
How were bowls made
Small pieces if colored glass were arranged in a mold and then heated until they fused together
When was glass blowing discovered
In first century b.c in Syria or Egypt
What is glass blowing
Wrapping molten glass around the end of a hollow pipe and shaping it by blowing through the pipe. First you dip the pipe onto the crucible above the furnace and take a blob of molten glass . Then blow steadily down the pipe to make a hollow bubble. By carefully reheating and repeated blowing the bubble can be made very big
How can one produce different glass shakes by glass blowing
By swinging the bubble gently while blowing or using special tools for shaping or cutting . Identical objects can be produced by blowing the glass into a mold
How did glassblowing change the glassmaking industry
Glass could be made quickly and efficiently and glass could be used to make ordinary house hold objects. The fame if Alexandrian glass spread and the glass makers prospered
When were the earliest Egyptian glass vessels discovered
Found i Egyptian tombs , 1500 bc
Why was Egypt fertile
South of Alexandra stretch the third tell valley of the River Nile. Each year the Nile flooded water in the land and depositing rich new soil on the fields. This produced not only enough corn to supply the whole of Egypt but also a large surplus to be exported. However the profits from the corn trade benefited only a small number of people
What was the system if Egypt
Breuners before the Romams had worked out a system for making the fullest possible use of the land to their own advantage. They regarded the whole country has their own property and treated the peasant farmers as their private force of workers . They had drawn up a detailed register of all the plots of land in Egypt and the crops grown and then and in every village lived government officials whose jobs was to keep the register up to date and check up on the peasants who worked on the land
Why was life hard for peasants
Because they had no choice but to work hard all the year round. They were not allowed to leave the village without permission they had to plant what ever crop they were told and they did not receive their share of the hardest until the ruler had received his. They were also responsible for the upkeep and repair of the countries canals and Dykes. Everything the peasants did was checked by the officials. Such careful supervision gave the peasant little chance of going unnoticed or avoiding work. All they could do was complain
How did the Romans change peasant life
The Romans did nothing to improve the life of the peasants like the previous rulers the Romans were more concerned to use the land for their own benefit then to improve the working conditions of peasant farmers above all they wanted to ensure a steady supply of corn to Rome. To avoid the danger of riots the Emperor made sure that Egypt was under his personal control. That the money was needed by the government for example to maintain the forest the police and the huge numbers of officials. This money was raised by taxation . That would taxes on vineyards slaves imported and exported goods. Government officials check continually on the day-to-day activities of the Egyptians. If a man went fishing and official went with them to register his cat, is anyone sailed out of Alexandra without a permit you might be find one third of his property. License is my quiet for such activities as brew keeping beekeeping and pig boy then. Bribery and corruption were common and what part of normal daily life
