Hello! Here is my assignment from Mr.Livingston: how did the collapse of the Roman Empire lead to the creation of a wide variety of glass styles compared to the common style (clear, thin) that was produced within the Empire?
The collapse of the Roman Empire triggered new types of glass like the Forest Glass because the remaining people did not have the substance of natron. Natron is a mineral that is used to make glass and was also used to mummify people it is found at the bottom of dried out lakes consisting of dried carbonite dioxide. It was too dangerous to go to the part of Egypt where it was found. The reason it was too dangerous to go there was because ancient Egypt fell not too long after the Roman Empire did and then as they were rebuilding they needed all the resources they could get and because there were so many deaths when ancient Egypt collapsed there was no natron left even though ten years later they were letting certain people use their substances again. People started experimenting by mixing things together like in northern Europe they used sand and tree ashes to make their version of forest glass which was green, brown clearish. Then in southern Europe people where using plant ashes like grass to mix with sand to make their version of Forest Glass.
And that’s it for this essay!
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