The craft or industry of manufacturing glass through heating, melting, and shaping silica and other raw materials.
From 'glass' + 'making' (the process of creating something). As a distinct industry, glassmaking became organized in Egypt around 1500 BCE and was refined dramatically during the Roman Empire.
The invention of the glassblowing pipe around 50 BCE in Roman Syria revolutionized glassmaking—suddenly one person could shape molten glass with air instead of hand tools, which is why glass vessels became affordable enough for ordinary people.
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