Glass was one of the most popular and useful materials in nearly every aspect of daily life in ancient Rome. Though the Romans did not invent glass, they revolutionized its production, particularly with the invention of glassblowing in the 1st century B.C.E., and mold-blowing, or blowing glass into a cast mold, circa 45 B.C.E. After the discovery of Roman glass in 19th-century excavation sites, its signature iridescence inspired many glass artists, including Louis Comfort Tiffany, who used it as the inspiration for his revolutionary "favrile" glass.
