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Researcher says cup markings likely ancient equivalent of brand logo
Vishwam SankaranFriday 28 November 2025 09:41 GMTComments
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A history professor has discovered hidden markings on an ancient Roman cup, revealing secrets of the empire’s glassware culture from around the 4th to 6th centuries AD.
Professor Hallie Meredith from Washington State University noticed an unexpected detail hidden in plain view on an ancient Roman glass cup kept in a private collection.
The luxurious object, carved from a single block of glass sometime between 300 and 500AD, is widely admired for its craftsmanship.
On its back, the professor noticed abstract openwork shapes like diamonds, leaves and crosses beside an inscription wishing its owner a long life.
The symbols were seen as being purely decorative but Dr Meredith realised they were likely the marks of its makers.
The marks, she said, identified the workshops and artisans responsible for producing some of the most intricate glassworks in the empire, acting like an ancient equivalent of a “brand logo”.
“Because I’m trained as a maker, I kept wanting to flip things over,” Dr Meredith said. “When that happens, patterns appear that everyone else has literally photographed out of the frame.”
In a pair of new studies, the historian traces similar symbols on other carved vessels, linking them to a visual language shared by glassworkers from around the 4th to 6th centuries AD.
Subtle patterns on ancient Roman glass cup (Christa Koppermann)For over 250 years, historians have debated how Roman glass vessels were made, whether they were carved by hand, cast or blown.
However, most analyses have not gone beyond recognising names and techniques found in inscriptions.
The latest studies suggest understanding these vessels requires more than identifying their techniques, including recognising the people and glassmaking teams behind them.
In her new studies, Dr Meredith assessed tool marks and inscriptions, showing that these objects were not made by individual glassmakers but by coordinated teams of engravers, polishers and apprentices.
Each cup, known as a diatreta, started as a thick-walled blank vessel that was carved into two concentric layers linked by delicate glass bridges.
This technique contributed to the “impossibly light” design with high endurance, the researcher said. This suggested the involvement of multiple specialists collaborating over weeks, months, or even years.
“Considering the protracted carving required to transform a thick-walled blank vessel into two parallel layers connected by a network of horizontal bridges, the need for multiple and coordinated craftworkers to complete diatreta is not surprising,” she wrote.
This led the historian to theorise that the marks likely identified collective workshops, similar to a modern brand logo.
“They weren’t personal autographs. They were the ancient equivalent of a brand,” she said.
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