Oasis of glass (The)

Marie-Dominique Nenna is an archaeologist and a specialist in ancient glasswork. This film follows her search to locate the primary workshops of Egypt that produced the raw glass necessary to satisfy a growing demand for glassware during the Roman era.
Beginning in archives and libraries, she then sets off to explore the hinterland of Alexandria and the oasis of Wadi Natroun. There, with the aid of geophysical surveys and traditional excavation techniques, she uncovers on the site of Beni Salama the largest tank furnaces of antiquity, installations that could produce a glass slab of 15 to 20 tonnes in a single firing.