Specularia is a scientific innovation project combining research and craftsmanship. It is part of Géraldine Frère's doctoral thesis, entitled "From sand to window. Production and consumption of window glass between the 1st and 4th centuries in northern Gaul". Through this work, the researcher sought to understand the elements that conditioned the glass industry to live in Roman times, but also its installation in architecture at that time. Specifically, the project set out to determine by whom, for whom, how, where and when glass was produced. To achieve this, a multidisciplinary methodology was put in place: the Specularia experimental archaeology project is one of the many axes developed to unravel the mysteries of this industry.
After undergoing various preparatory stages, the research team had proceeded to an experimental phase within the Malagne archaeopark. To this end, two glassmakers' furnaces had been reconstituted on the site. In July 2023, assisted by glassmakers, the scientific team took part in the glassmaking process. A phase of rigorous scientific experimentation, which also took place under the gaze of numerous visitors.
Geraldine Frère's work continued with the analysis of the data collected, compared with archaeological material, to culminate in the most recent and in-depth scientific study to date on flat glass production in Roman times in our regions.
A project that has been followed, step by step, by director Philippe Axell in order to produce a documentary that raises awareness of this scientific adventure in Belgium and internationally, as well as placing it in the wider context of the history and archaeology of glass.
