Photo by Marieke Mom
Nijmegen is the oldest city in The Netherlands, founded nearly 2,000 years ago in year 98. This amazingly long history was proven with a recent archaeological dig that unearthed a perfectly intact blue glass bowl, which is at least as old as the city itself.
The discovery impressed the team scientists, who examined the deep blue glass, and found not a single crack or chip. It’s said that Nijmegen was an early Roman military camp, and the bowl would have been procured from trading cattle hides.
The deep blue glass was made with metal oxide, creating the color, and the molten glass would have been poured over a mold.
Photo by Marieke Mom
It’s an impressive discovery, showing how well artifacts can stay preserved under the ground. It begs the question, how many more priceless artifacts lay buried?
” The bowl, just small enough to sit comfortably in the palm of a hand, has a trim rim and a vertical stripe pattern with ridges on the outside. With no chips or cracks on its surface, the object is stunningly intact. Lead archeologist Pepjin van de Geer remarked that it was “really special,” deserving pride of place in a museum. “
Photo by Marieke Mom