Meges (glass manufacturer)

Front and side view of the mug in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (01.8.5)

Meges ( ancient Greek Μεγες ) was an ancient glass producer in Roman times .

Meges probably owned a glassworks that produced blown glass. Like the glass producers Jason and Neikais , he produced in his glassworks in the tradition of the even more capable masters Ennion and Aristeas . He probably took over the signing of the works from Ennion. Although the foundations of most of the pieces are barely certain - not one of the completely preserved vessels can be assigned to a place of discovery with certainty - one can assume that the hut is located in the Syrian-Palestinian region and that the production time was in the middle decades of the first century dating is. The finds show the green-yellowish tint typical of the room and the typical weathered layer. The congratulatory and victory cups , which are similar in terms of glass quality, weathering and the type of inscriptions, and some of which come from established contexts, serve as a dating aid .

From Meges - his works run under Hardern Group C - only two cups are likely to have survived as things stand. He signed with the inscription ΜΕΓΕϹ ΕΠΟΗϹΕΝ ΜΝΗϹΘΗ Ο ΑΓΟΡΑϹΑϹ MEGES EPOESEN MNESTHE HO AGORASAS , German 'Meges made it - remembrance of the buyer' . One cup comes from Maroni (the ancient Marium ) near Amathus in Cyprus , the other, today in the Metropolitan Museum of Art , possibly from Nazareth or Scythopolis (today Bet Sche'an , Israel).

The status of the Meges is unclear. He was probably the owner of the hut, and it is also likely that he was also actively involved in production. It is uncertain whether he really is the creator of the preserved vessels.

Web links

Commons : Meges  - collection of images, videos and audio files

literature

• Axel von Saldern : Antique glass (= handbook of archeology ). CH Beck, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-406-51994-6 , especially pp. 231–247.