New Evidence of the Production of Raw Glass at Late Byzantine Apollonia-Arsuf, Israel

The discovery of a glass furnace at Apollonia-Arsuf, Israel, yields new evidence of the production of raw glass at the site during the Late Byzantine period. Following the discovery of glass furnaces in 1950, a new furnace consisting of a melting chamber and a badly preserved firing area was discovered in 2002. This recent discovery strengthens the assumption that the city was a major center for the making of both primary and secondary glass in the 6th and 7th centuries C.E. and also enhances knowledge about glass furnace construction and the production of raw glass at the site. Chemical analyses of glass samples from this furnace, as well as those of glass samples recovered previously, provide a more detailed database of ancient Near Eastern glass compositions.