Bospette Fellowship for Roman Glass

The Allard Pierson holds a fascinating collection of archaeological glass amounting to around 500 items. Most pieces date from the Roman period, although earlier items are also from Mesopotamia, present-day Iran, Egypt and the Eastern Mediterranean. The ‘youngest’ glass objects date from the 11th to 12th centuries. The collection has expanded considerably in the previous decades thanks to donations and bequests. A comprehensive description of the glass collection, including images, is underway. Non-destructive scientific research has been conducted in the past few years to answer questions concerning objects of unknown archaeological origin, the composition of the glass and the production techniques involved.

Suggestions for research:

• The function and purpose of glass in Classical Antiquity.
• Research into fragments of glass, glass shards from workshops in northern Egypt (Fustat) and a number of bracelets that have not yet been made accessible. These archaeologically meaningful materials merit closer scientific research.
• Other topics related to the archaeological glass collection.

Searching the collection
The glass collection is kept in the Allard Pierson museum, partly in showcases in the exhibition rooms and partly in the storage rooms. All objects in the archaeological glass collection can be found through the UvA catalogue.

Questions
Curator René van Beek can be contacted at r.vanbeek@uva.nl for questions about the collection. Fellowships programme coordinator Anna de Wilde can be contacted at a.e.dewilde@uva.nl for questions about the application process.