Trasparenze romane dal Venetorum angulus

Glass is one of the classes of finds that best illustrates changes in material culture. Starting from the mid-1st century BC, with the introduction of glassblowing and the advent of large-scale production, glass became a material of everyday use, experiencing widespread diffusion in all spheres of Roman life. In the Veneto region during the pre-Roman era, glass was primarily used for making ornamental objects. From the Augustan age onward, there is a significant increase in the presence of glassware. Initially, balsamaria appeared in various shapes and colours, followed by more complex forms such as ribbed cups and jugs. The spread of glass in funerary contexts is not only the result of increased Mediterranean trade of this material, but also the outcome of the adoption of typically Roman ritual practices. The balsamarium, for example, was used both in libations and placed on the funeral pyre, as evidenced by the fused specimens. This contribution aims to investigate the introduction of Roman glass types through the study of some exemplary contexts in Roman Veneto to observe the dynamics of cultural transformation and the Romanization of the territory.