American Journal of Archaeology

The exhibition Open Horizons: Ancient Greek Journeys and Connections at Melbourne Museum explored stories of ancient and modern journeys. Featuring ancient artifacts on loan from the National Archaeological Museum in Athens as well as photographs from Melbourne Museum’s own collection which illustrated the history of Greek migration to Australia in more recent centuries, the exhibition invited its viewers to consider the impact of travel of both objects and people on how ideas spread. On display in April–August 2022, exploring this subject at this time had particular significance given most people’s recent experiences with lockdowns and difficult travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the exhibition touched on complex themes such as colonization in the ancient Mediterranean and the resonance of the term to a contemporary audience. Although this could have been explored in more detail in this space, the organizers should be commended for starting the conversation so that many more can follow. A beautiful display and a wide variety of objects, coupled with materials directly relevant to its Australian setting, made this exhibition a worthwhile visit.

Romula (today Reșca, Dobrosloveni Village, Romania) was the largest urban and economic center of Dacia Inferior (Malvensis), a Roman province located in the north of the Lower Danube region. In this context, the city market included workshops for the production of ceramic, metal, stone, bone, and glass objects. In 2013, 2015, and 2018, during excavations of the former Roman city, two rectangular glass furnaces were discovered. One has only one chamber, the other has two chambers. A melted glass layer was found on the walls of furnace no. 1, as well as in one room of furnace no. 2. Broken fragments of glass were also found in both. The furnaces are located in the central area of the Roman city. The evidence suggests that the furnaces belong to secondary glass workshops. The glass may have arrived in raw form, where it was remelted and processed. The discovery of these furnaces contributes to the growing body of evidence for Roman glass production around the empire.