Roman Rod-Formed Glass Vessel Circa 4th century A.D. A small, rod-formed black glass jar with globular body and two handles, decorated with indented vertical grooves around the shoulders; rounded base. Cf. Whitehouse, D., Roman Glass in Corning Museum of Glass, volume three, New York, 2003, item 959, for similar. 15 grams, 56 mm (2 1/4 in.). European collection, 1970s. Acquired in London in the early 2000s. Collection of a London gentleman. Artisans used a mass of mud and straw fixed around a metal rod to form a core and built up a vessel by either dipping the core in liquified glass, or by trailing liquid glass over the core. The core was removed after the glass had cooled, and handles, rims and bases were then added. These vessels are characterised by relatively thick walls and were limited in size to small unguent or scent containers. This early technique continued despite the introduction of cast vessels, although their production seems to have been limited to a very few factories.