18 September 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

The discovery that surprised archaeologists; a Rare glass cup adorning the table of rich Romans in Crimea

A discovery made in Frontovoye-3 necropolis in Crimea shows that during the Roman Empire there were more centers of glass production, beyond those known until now.

Experts from the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences published a report in 2018 on a rare study of glass cup from the late 2nd or mid-3rd century AD found in the Frontovoye-3 necropolis near Sevastopol.

Despite thoroughly studying the decoration, shape and chemical composition of the glass using the X-ray spectroscopy method, the origin of the piece could not be established, according to a release of the Institute of Archaeology. The only conclusion they reached was that the cup came from a workshop on the outskirts of the Roman Empire.

The glass cup, is adorned with a snake, was made of mixed composition glass, which means that the craftsmen used glass shards in its manufacture. As a rule, this technology was used in workshops that had difficulties in importing high-quality raw materials.

The goblet is made of clear, colorless glass with a slight greenish tint, and is decorated with floral decorations of opaque white glass and translucent turquoise. Stylized images of ivy buds and leaves are also seen. This decoration is known as “serpent thread decoration”, according to archaeologists, because the lines of the ornament resemble writhing snakes.

Aerial view of the Frontovoe-3 necropolis in Crimea
Aerial view of the Frontovoe-3 necropolis in Crimea. Photo: The Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences

The glass cup, from the late empire, is adorned with a snake and was found in the sepulcher, which has not been looted by thieves, of a woman between 25 and 45 years old. Therefore, archaeologists were able to fully explore the place and watch how the culture and life of the local barbarian community have changed over the course of nearly 300 years. Examination of the finds showed that the local population was under the strong influence of the Roman Empire, whose main base in Crimea was the Chersonese.

Alongside her remains were also bronze and silver rings, brooches, glass beads, and earthenware, indicating that the area was prosperous.

“The cup found at the Frontovoy-3 site is an expensive object for the time. As a general rule, the cups were made in three large glass-making centers located in Cologne, Pannonia (where Hungary is today) and in the region where today there is Syria and Palestine. They were produced from high-quality Egyptian raw materials,” said Larisa Golofast, a researcher in the Academy’s Department of Classical Archaeology.

“However, the Frontovoe-3 ​​find differs from the goblets that these centers traded. Judging by the composition of the glass, it could not have been made in any of the known workshops. The decoration of the vessel is similar to Rhenish goblets, but its shape does not correspond to the models that were made in Western Europe. The cup cannot be associated with any center. This is really an intrigue,” he concluded.

Drawing of decorated glass goblet made of serpentine threads
Drawing of decorated glass goblet made of serpentine threads. The Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences

 Such cups were considered luxury items and were an integral part of the table of the rural and urban elite. They’re mainly exclusively discovered in the graves of the wealthy in Western Europe.

However, there is another situation that surprises archaeologists. The artifact comes from a completely ordinary tomb, although there are rich tombs in the Frontovoe-3 necropolis.

“It’s a very rare vessel. Only a few of these were found in Crimea and in the entire northern Black Sea region.”

 “This fact is interesting and inexplicable,” says Larisa Golofast, a researcher at the IA RAS Department of Classical Archeology.

Most of the 328 tombs in the necropolis date from Roman times, from the last decades of the 1st century and the beginning of the 5th century after Christ. In addition, scientists have also found four structures from the Bronze Age. The complex occupied an area of ​​about 14,000 square meters.

The Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Related Articles

Poland’s oldest copper axe discovered in the Lublin region

30 March 2024

30 March 2024

A copper axe from the 4th to 3rd millennium BC identified with the Trypillia culture was found in the Horodło...

Archaeologists Discovered One of the Earliest Christian Buildings in Bahrain

14 July 2024

14 July 2024

Archaeologists have uncovered one of the earliest known Christian buildings in the Arabian Gulf, located in Samahij, Bahrain, and providing...

Rare discovery: Ancient Egyptian burial reveals Ovarian Teeth in Oldest Example of Teratoma

13 November 2023

13 November 2023

Archaeologists have unearthed the oldest documented example of a teratoma discovered within the 3,000-year-old burial chamber of a young woman...

Torrential Rain Reveal 2500-Year-old Small Bull Statue

19 March 2021

19 March 2021

After heavy rains near the ancient Olympia site, a bronze bull statue of a bull believed to be at least...

2400-year-old artifacts discovered in the Black Sea’s first scientific underwater excavation

25 March 2024

25 March 2024

Dozens of historical artifacts dating from the 4th century BC to the 12th century AD were unearthed in the first...

Researchers sequenced the DNA 1,600-year-old sheep mummy from an ancient Iranian salt mine, Chehrabad

16 July 2021

16 July 2021

A multinational team of geneticists and archaeologists sequenced the DNA from a 1,600-year-old sheep mummy discovered from Chehrabad, a salt...

The Roman villa in North Yorkshire is described as the first of its kind

14 April 2021

14 April 2021

A Roman villa has been found at a construction site in North Yorkshire, considered the first of its kind. Remains...

In northern Iran, a hand-dug passageway was discovered used for military purposes during the Qajar era

1 August 2021

1 August 2021

A hand-dug underground passage dating from the Qajar era (1794-1925), once believed to have served military purposes, has been discovered...

Staging of religion on rock paintings that are thousands of years old in southern Egypt desert

10 May 2023

10 May 2023

Egyptologists at the University of Bonn and the University of Aswan want to systematically record hundreds of petroglyphs and inscriptions...

2000-year-old tomb guarded by two bull heads found in Tharsa Ancient City, Türkiye

18 May 2024

18 May 2024

In Türkiye, archaeologists have discovered a new 2000-year-old tomb protected by two bull heads during excavation and cleaning efforts in...

Collectors In The Prehistoric World Recycled Old Stone Tools To Preserve The Memory Of Their Ancestors

16 March 2022

16 March 2022

A first-of-its-kind study at Tel Aviv University asks what drove prehistoric humans to collect and recycle flint tools that had...

Research Uncovers the Parthenon’s Spectacular Lighting Effects for Athena in Antiquity

9 May 2025

9 May 2025

A four-year multidisciplinary study led by Oxford University Archaeologist Professor Juan de Lara has shed new light on a millennia-old...

Bone workshop and oil lamp shop unearthed in Aizanoi ancient city in western Turkey

13 November 2021

13 November 2021

Archaeologists have unearthed a bone workshop and an oil lamp shop in an Aizanoi ancient city in the Çavdarhisar district...

Exceptional Iron Age Artifacts Discovered at Celtic Necropolis in France

18 April 2025

18 April 2025

An archaeological excavation in Creuzier-le-Neuf, a small town located six miles north of Vichy, has unveiled a remarkable Celtic necropolis,...

2000-year-old ancient Roman Road, described as the most important in Scottish history, has been discovered

3 November 2023

3 November 2023

A 2000-year-old ancient Roman road was unearthed in Old Inn Cottage’s garden near Stirling, Scotland. The site is located a...