Bottles are narrow-necked containers for holding liquids, usually made of glass or plastic,and closed with corks, stoppers,or caps. Glass bottles were first made in about 1500 b.c. by the Egyptians, who formed molten glass around a core of sand and clay; when the glass cooled, the core was dug out. Because this process was so difficult and time-consuming, glass bottles were a luxury item for the ancient Egyptians.

By 200 b.c., glass bottles were made in China, Persia, and Egypt by blowing molten glass into molds, a method also used somewhat later by the Romans. This was a cheaper and quicker way to produce bottles. Glassmaking by this method spread through Europe during the 1400s and 1500s. Skilled workers set up the New World's first bottle - and glass-making factory in Virginia in 1608.

Various well-known types of glasscontainers appeared...