Archaeologist and glassblower Hallie Meredith discovered recurring symbols on late Roman diatreta (cage cups) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and argues they form a visual 'language' used by workshops. Her analysis, published in the Journal of Glass Studies and World Archaeology, documents crosses, leaves and diamonds beside inscriptions and on unfinished fragments dated to the 4th–6th centuries CE. Meredith suggests these motifs functioned like a maker's brand, identifying regional workshops and collaborative teams of apprentices, polishers and engravers. The research invites a richer view of Roman craft production beyond elite-focused narratives.
Hidden Workshop 'Language' Found in Ancient Roman Cage Cups
Archaeologist and glassblower Hallie Meredith discovered recurring symbols on late Roman diatreta (cage cups) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and argues they form a visual 'language' used by workshops. Her analysis, published in the Journal of Glass Studies and World Archaeology, documents crosses, leaves and diamonds beside inscriptions and on unfinished fragments dated to the 4th–6th centuries CE. Meredith suggests these motifs functioned like a maker's brand, identifying regional workshops and collaborative teams of apprentices, polishers and engravers. The research invites a richer view of Roman craft production beyond elite-focused narratives.
04:40 AM, 11/15/2025Culture
Hidden Workshop 'Language' Found in Ancient Roman Cage Cups
Long-overlooked marks carved into late Roman glasswork point to the existence of organized craft networks, according to new research by archaeologist and glassblower Hallie Meredith. The discovery began when Meredith examined a diatreta (also called a cage cup) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and turned it over, revealing previously overlooked motifs that set off a wider investigation.
'Because I am trained as a maker, I kept wanting to flip things over,' Meredith said in a statement. 'When that happens, patterns appear that everyone else has literally photographed out of the frame.'
Meredith identified recurring motifs — crosses, leaves and diamond shapes — placed beside an inscription that translates as 'wishing [the cup's] owner a long life.' Where past catalogues treated these marks as mere decoration, Meredith recognized consistent combinations across multiple diatreta dated to the fourth through sixth centuries CE.
Previous scholarship already established the remarkable technique behind diatreta: makers started with thick glass blocks and carved them into two layers linked by delicate glass bridges. Meredith's systematic comparison of finished cups, unfinished fragments, tool marks and inscriptions argues that those recurring symbols functioned as a visual code used within workshops — a kind of maker's 'brand' or shorthand for teams and places of origin. Her findings appear in an April issue of the Journal of Glass Studies and in a recent article in World Archaeology.
Based on the evidence, Meredith proposes that production was collaborative: apprentices, polishers and engravers worked together on complex pieces that sometimes took years to complete. Motifs may have identified regional workshops, individual teams, or stages of production — information useful to makers but invisible to most museum viewers.
Meredith hopes the research will prompt more focused study of diatreta production and broaden our understanding of late Roman craft communities beyond elite patrons. 'There has been a static picture of people who do the work,' she said. 'When the evidence is assembled, far more is known about these craftworkers than previously thought.'
Why it matters: This interpretation shifts how scholars read small, repeat marks on ancient objects — transforming them from 'decoration' into potential evidence of organization, identity and regional trade in late antiquity.