6 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Archaeologists have unearthed a flawless Roman blue glass bowl in the Dutch city of Nijmegen

Archaeologists excavating the site of a comprehensive housing and green space development in Nijmegen’s Winkelsteeg, one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands, have uncovered a magnificent Roman blue glass bowl in immaculate condition.

The glass bowl is at least 2000 years old, and there is not a chip or crack on it.

“This is really special,” says archeologist Pepijn van de Geer, who led the excavation.

In his statement, the archaeologist said that the bowl was Roman production, that it may have come from big places such as Xanten or Cologne in Germany, and that there were glass workshops there at that time. However, he also mentioned the possibility that it was made in Italy.

“Such dishes were made by allowing molten glass to cool and harden over a mold. The stripe pattern was drawn in when the glass mixture was still liquid. Metal oxide causes a blue color.”



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



Archaeologists unearthed an old well belonging to the settlement at Winkelsteeg. © Photo by Bert Beelen
Archaeologists unearthed an old well belonging to the settlement at Winkelsteeg. © Photo by Bert Beelen

“This bowl was once a showpiece for early Nijmegen residents. Pepijn van de Geer thinks it is a masterpiece that deserves to be displayed in a museum. “I have seen similar glassware in Italian museums.”

The name Nijmegen comes from ‘Noviomagus’ meaning ‘new market’. Nijmegen is located on the banks of the Waal, a tributary of the Rhine in the ‘Great Rivers’ area, and is only 10 kilometers from the German border.

Nijmegen was founded as a Roman military camp in the 1st century B.C., and a civilian settlement of the local Batavi peoples formed next to it. By 98, the settlement of Nijmegen was the first city in what is today the Netherlands to receive the designation of municipium (Roman city rights) making its residents Roman citizens.

The Winkelsteeg excavation has also uncovered Roman settlement tombs as well as a smattering of grave goods such as numerous vessels, cups, and jewelry. The remains of dwellings are few- mostly traces of wood construction- but archaeologists are recording residues and soil discoloration to create a map of the neighborhood’s structures.

Cover photo: A spectacular Roman glass bowl, circa 1800 to 1900 years old, was found in the territory of Nijmegen. © Photo by Bert Beelen

Related Articles

Research Shows Early North Americans Made Eyed Needles from Fur-Bearers

3 December 2024

3 December 2024

Archaeologists from the University of Wyoming have found bone 13,000-year-old eyed needles crafted from the bones of various furry animals....

Nearly 1,000-year-old Native American canoe recovered from Lake Waccamaw

18 April 2023

18 April 2023

A 1,000-year-old Waccamaw Indian dug canoe was retrieved from Lake Waccamaw near Wilmington, North Carolina after it was discovered by...

Ancient Christian Settlement Discovered in Egypt

14 March 2021

14 March 2021

The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities said on Saturday that a French-Norwegian archaeological team had discovered a new ancient Christian settlement...

Unsolvable Megalithic Mystery of ancient Greek “Dragon Houses”

8 January 2025

8 January 2025

The Dragon Houses of Euboea, which probably dates to the Preclassical period of ancient Greece, are one of the historical...

1,600-Year-Old Rare Greek Letter-Shaped Weights and Scale Found in Türkiye’s Uzuncaburç

9 July 2025

9 July 2025

Archaeologists have made a significant discovery at the ancient city of Uzuncaburç in Türkiye’s southern Mersin province — a complete...

Archaeologists Find the Missing Link of the Alphabet

15 April 2021

15 April 2021

Researchers believe that Tel Lachish pottery is the oldest of its kind found in the region, and could explain how...

A One-of-a-Kind Roman Tomb with Bilingual Inscription: The First Monumental Discovery in Dibra, Albania

4 September 2025

4 September 2025

Archaeologists have uncovered a monumental Roman-era tomb in Strikçan, near Bulqiza, in northern Albania’s historic Dibra region, approximately 90 kilometers...

Carvings at Göbeklitepe could be World’s Oldest Calendar

6 August 2024

6 August 2024

Experts suggest that markings on a stone pillar at the 12,000-year-old Göbeklitepe archaeological site in Türkiye probably represent the oldest...

Tragurium Twins: A Rare Roman Archaeological Discovery in Croatia

12 March 2025

12 March 2025

Recent archaeological excavations in Croatia have unearthed a remarkable and heart-wrenching discovery: the remains of twin babies interred together in...

The earliest Buddha statues in China found in northwestern Shaanxi

10 December 2021

10 December 2021

The two copper-tin-lead alloy Buddha statues discovered in northwestern Shaanxi Province became the earliest Buddha statues of this kind unearthed...

1,500-Year-Old Stained Glass and Mosaics Discovered at Harran Cathedral Excavation in Türkiye

7 February 2025

7 February 2025

Recent excavations at the historic Harran archaeological site, which is included on UNESCO’s World Heritage Tentative List, have yielded rare...

The discovery of a 380-million-year-old heart sheds new light on our bodies’ evolution

16 September 2022

16 September 2022

Researchers from Curtin University have discovered the world’s oldest heart in a ‘beautifully preserved’ ancient jawed fish fossil 380 million...

Archaeologists Unearthed a 1000-year-old Medieval Game Collection in a Castle in Southern Germany

4 June 2024

4 June 2024

Archaeologists found a collection of medieval game pieces at a forgotten castle in southern Germany. Among the discoveries are a...

6,000-Year-Old Temple with Blood Channel and Altar Unearthed in Eastern Türkiye

15 July 2025

15 July 2025

Archaeologists have discovered a 6,000-year-old temple site during ongoing excavations in the village of Tadım, located in Elazığ Province, eastern...

New insights into Scotland’s ‘bodies in the bog’

31 March 2022

31 March 2022

Fourteen bodies were found at Cramond near Edinburgh in 1975. New research suggests that two of the remains of these...