Techniques
Most glass beads were made individually by threading one or more glass rods around a copper rod covered with a parting layer of clay and calcite to allow easy separation from the metal. Glass rods of different colors were sometimes wrapped around the base color or were fused together and the resultant package wrapped around a core.  Varied patterns were produced by combing or otherwise manipulating the colored stripes. Bands of contrasting color were sometimes added at the ends of beads. Concentric pieces of glass could be built up to create eyebeads. Blanks (unworked glass pieces) were also shaped by press molding, stamping, and rotary grinding.
Frit (polycrystalline material with a glassy matrix) and faience (glazed nonclay ceramic) objects were modeled and incised, then fired. The fine-grained materials allowed the modeling of details, but the final objects were weaker than their glass equivalents.
Core-formed vessels were made either by dipping a core of dung and clay into molten glass or by covering a modeled core with finely crushed glass. The latter was then heated until the glass fused, and successive layers of crushed glass were picked up. Vessels could be decorated by wrapping threads of colored hot glass around the body and combing these into patterns. After the glass solidified, the core and/or rod was pulled and scraped out. Layers of different color could also be made into a sandwich, which was flattened and rolled to produce swirling or spiraling patterns. The sandwich could then be assembled onto a core to form a vessel.
|
