The book examines ancient documents in order to reconstruct historical glass production. Authors Mario Bussagli and Maria Grazia Chiappori follow the evolution of glassmaking, a particularly interesting trajectory due to the interplay between technological development and artistic form, from the prowess of glyptic Roman sculpture and the sophistication of Islamic calligraphy, to the renaissance of Western glassworks resulting from Sugerio’s theology of light which inspired the architecture of stained glass windows in medieval cathedrals.