In the quiet, reverent atmosphere of a renowned museum gallery, an art history professor and practiced glassblower named Hallie Meredith uncovered a hidden layer of ancient Roman craft that had eluded scholars for centuries. While examining a private collection of Roman glass cage cups at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, Meredith’s keen eye revealed an extraordinary secret not through advanced technology, but simply by turning one of these exquisite vessels around. These delicate glassworks, dating from approximately 300 to 500 CE, have long been celebrated for their beauty and intricate craftsmanship. However, Meredith discovered that the reverse sides of these objects bore abstract symbols traditionally dismissed as mere decoration. Instead, these motifs, carved into the ancient glass, represent the signatures of the elusive workshops and artisans behind these masterpieces.
Meredith’s insight came from her dual expertise as both a scholar and a craftsman. Her background in glassblowing, a skill she has cultivated since her undergraduate days, gave her a unique appreciation for the nuances of handmade glass objects. This practical experience propelled her to examine the overlooked sides of the diatretum—the Roman cage cups—and recognize motifs such as diamonds, leaves, and crosses as visual markers. The inscriptions accompanying some vessels, often wishing the owner longevity, further suggested these symbols functioned as more than decoration: they served as marks of identity and provenance.
For more than two and a half centuries, the field of Roman glass study has predominantly focused on technological questions: how these cage cups were produced. The long-standing debates centered on whether artisans used carving, casting, blowing, or a combination of techniques to achieve the complex two-layered latticework. Meredith’s research shifts the conversation toward the human dimension, revealing a social network of artisans whose collaborative labor these vessels encode. Through meticulous analysis of tool marks, common symbols, inscriptions, and even fragments left unfinished, Meredith reveals that production was not the work of solitary masters but of coordinated teams comprising engravers, polishers, and apprentices.
The diatretum itself presents an impressive technical feat. Beginning with a solid glass blank, craftsmen painstakingly carved concentric layers separated by delicate glass bridges to create an intricate mesh seemingly suspended in air. This lattice, both incredibly fragile and elaborately designed, exemplifies the endurance and skill required for its creation. Meredith posits that such complexity necessitated long-term collaboration within workshops, sometimes spanning weeks or months. The abstract symbols she unearthed, far from being mere embellishments, served as collective emblems of identity, functioning effectively as ancient studio logos or brands that affirmed authenticity and quality.
Meredith’s findings, published in respected academic venues including the Journal of Glass Studies and World Archaeology, bring to light a largely invisible social history embedded in the material culture of late antiquity. Her forthcoming monograph, The Roman Craftworkers of Late Antiquity: A Social History of Glass Production and Related Industries, aims to contextualize these discoveries within a broader narrative about artisanship in the ancient world, slated for release by Cambridge University Press in 2026 or 2027. This work promises to transform the way historians, archaeologists, and glass specialists think about Roman craftspeople—not as anonymous laborers but as conscious agents whose identities were integral to their work.
Central to Meredith’s methodology is a hands-on understanding of glassmaking processes, which informs her interpretations of the archaeological record. At Washington State University, she teaches a unique course called Experiencing Ancient Making, where students engage directly with ancient craft by 3D printing replicas, attempting manual replication, and deconstructing artifacts virtually through a custom-designed app. This embodied exploration fosters empathy, allowing students and scholars alike to apprehend the physical demands, iterative refinements, and creative problem-solving ancient craftworkers negotiated in the production of objects like diatreta.
This nuanced perspective challenges the dominant historiographical tendency to elevate elite patrons and finished products while marginalizing the laboring artisan. Meredith argues that by tracing these overlooked marks and inscriptions, scholars can reconstruct the social and economic milieu of craft workshops. The static and distant image of Roman makers dissolves into a dynamic tableau of skilled workers communicating their identities and reputations over generations. Such evidence suggests a complex system of branding and quality assurance in late antique luxury goods, offering fresh insight into workshop organization and inter-regional networks.
Moreover, Meredith’s interdisciplinary collaboration with computer science students at WSU advances her agenda by employing digital tools to identify and catalogue thousands of inscriptions, particularly non-standard uses of scripts—including misspellings, alphabet mixing, and coded messages. Her hypothesis is that what previous experts dismissed as meaningless scribbles may, in fact, represent encoded multilingual communication devised by makers for diverse audiences across the Roman Empire. This digital humanities approach is poised to redefine our understanding of ancient literacy and cultural exchange in a mercantile context.
The implications of Meredith’s research transcend technical craft history and tap into broader questions about identity, labor, and communication in antiquity. When visitors stand before the shimmering lattice of a Roman diatretum, they are not merely admiring a marvel of engineering and aesthetics. Instead, they are witnessing an artifact alive with human hands, skill, collaboration, and ingenuity. These ancient glass vessels bear the invisible fingerprints of their makers, whose stories are now beginning to emerge from centuries of silence.
Meredith’s discovery serves as a clarion call for museums, archaeologists, and historians to reconsider how they present and interpret ancient artifacts. Often, the most meaningful information lies not in prominent decoration or inscriptions but in marginal marks and subtle details dismissed as inconsequential. By reorienting our gaze and blending practical craft knowledge with advanced scholarly inquiry, we can uncover hidden networks and social dynamics of ancient production. This enriched perspective deepens appreciation for the complexity and humanity embedded in objects crafted millennia ago.
The transformative nature of Meredith’s work also highlights the power of curiosity and interdisciplinary study. A simple gesture—turning a piece around—sparked a reevaluation of Roman glasswork that challenges long-held assumptions and opens novel lines of inquiry in archaeology and art history. Her dual expertise as maker and historian models how hands-on practice can augment traditional scholarship, ultimately enriching both academic understanding and public appreciation of ancient art.
As digital and material studies continue to converge, Meredith’s research exemplifies the exciting possibilities that lie ahead for uncovering forgotten knowledge encoded in ancient artifacts. The invisible signatures of Roman craftworkers are finally coming to light, illuminating a vibrant world of collaboration, branding, and skill that shaped the luxury goods and cultural heritage of late antiquity. When we peer closely at these intricate glass vessels, we glimpse a living past—the hands and minds behind the art—once hidden, now revealed.
Subject of Research: Late Roman glass production and the social identity of craftworkers.
Article Title: An approach to craft and craftworkers in process: re-examining late 3rd-6th century CE Roman carvings, inscriptions, and engraved symbols.
News Publication Date: Not available (article published 13-Oct-2025).
Web References: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00438243.2025.2570270
Image Credits: Photo courtesy of Hallie G. Meredith.
Keywords: Roman glass, diatretum, ancient craftsmanship, artisan marks, Roman workshops, late antiquity, glassblowing, archaeological inscriptions, social history of craft, collaborative production, ancient branding, digital humanities.
