PSA: I just found out glassblowing was a Roman party trick

I was reading this old book about ancient tech at the library, and it said the Romans used to make glass game pieces for a board game called 'Ludus Latrunculorum'. They'd blow tiny, detailed pieces as a show of skill at banquets. I always pictured it as a serious craft, not something you'd do to impress your friends over wine. Has anyone tried making replicas of historical stuff like that?

3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

3 Comments

the_christopher7mo ago

Ever wonder how many got inhaled by accident?

5

lopez.simon6mo ago

Mine just made a ton of smoke at first. Letting the clay dry slower helped a lot.

1

max_rodriguez717mo ago

Wow, that's so cool! I tried making a Roman style oil lamp from clay once. I followed a tutorial from a museum website, used terracotta clay and a simple mold I carved from wood. The hardest part was getting the wick channel right so it wouldn't smoke too much. It's not perfect, but it actually works and it was a blast to make something you can really use.

-1