Archaeologists working at a dig in the Dutch city of Nijmegen uncovered a well-preserved, 2,000-year-old blue glass bowl late last year, reports Anne Nijtmans for Dutch newspaper de Gelderlander. The palm-sized dish had survived centuries buried underground, remaining perfectly intact with little to no wear.
Researchers and the town government announced the bowl’s discovery last week as archaeologists worked to clear the area—part of the city’s Winkelsteeg business district—ahead of a planned housing development, reports Francesca Aton for ARTNews.
The item is distinguished by its pattern of vertical stripes. “Such dishes were made by allowing molten glass to cool and harden over a mold,” lead archaeologist Pepijn van de Geer tells de Gelderlander, per an ARTNews translation. “The pattern was drawn in when the glass mixture was still liquid. Metal oxide causes the blue color.”
