Man-made glass is thought to have originated in Syria about 3,000 BC. The earliest glass objects were beads (hollow vessels do not occur before about 1500 BC). Core-moulding was the earliest method of production. The core was modeled in clay and dung, fixed to a metal rod, given the shape of the desired vessel and then dipped into molten glass. It was constantly reheated and smoothed by rolling on a flat stone. It was decorated by adding trails of different coloured glass. When cool, the clay core was picked out leaving a small hollow glass object.

The Egyptians learned the technique of glass making from the Syrians and used it to make beads and small bottles. Glass production flourished in Egypt and Mesopotamia until about 1200 BC then virtually ceased for several hundred years. In the 9th century BC, Syria and Mesopotamia emerged as glassmaking centres, and the industry spread throughout the Mediterranean. In the Hellenistic era, Egypt, because of the glassworks at Alexandria, assumed a leading role in supplying royal courts with luxury glass.

It was on the Phoenician coast, however, that the important discovery of glassblowing occurred in the 1st century BC and glass making became an industry. The Romans produced a vast range of glassware and exported it all over the Empire. As well as ordinary household wares, the Romans produced glass of extraordinary virtuosity. The skill of Roman glass makers has barely been equaled, even today. The ancient glass makers adapted lapidary skills to make lathe-cut, carved, and engraved glass of considerable beauty. In cameo glass, layers of different coloured glass were fused together and then carved so as to leave contrasting motifs in relief.