Glass Vessels

In ancient times, before the fabrication of glass had been fully developed, glass was considered just as precious as gold or silver. Silla glass vessels have generally been found in large-scale tombs that are believed to have been royal tombs. These particular glass vessels, which were excavated from Hwangnamdaechong Tomb, are similar in terms of form and production technique to Roman glass vessels found in southern Russia, the Mediterranean region, and the Middle East. Thus, these glass vessels were likely transmitted via the Silk Road, over the Eurasian Steppes to China and Silla. The vessel shaped like the head of a phoenix resembles the trefoil-shaped mouths of the Greek glass vessels known as “oinochoe,” which were mainly produced along the Eastern Mediterranean, in areas such as Syria.