Glass, Second Millennium B.C.E. Glass was one of the earliest artificial materials. Glass beads have been found at sites in Mesopotamia dating from the second half of the third millennium B.C.E. Major developments in glassmaking took place in north Mesopotamia during the mid-sixteenth century B.C.E., possibly among the Hurrians. Glass vessels were manufactured by making a clay core and covering it with hot glass. The core was removed after the glass cooled. While still hot and on the core, the vessel was often decorated by winding threads around it or placing blobs of differently colored glass on its surface. During the same period, objects such as pendants were also cast in molds, and marbled and mosaic glass were invented. A few surviving contemporary cuneiform texts give instructions on glassmaking.

Glass, First Millennium B.C.E...