Roman Mirror Technology in Literature, Art, and Material Culture

This book provides a survey of ancient Roman technologies of mirrors and glass, exploring their designs, materials, uses and functions, and role in society and thought. It presents a comprehensive overview of Roman mirrors, including the wide variety of designs and materials used such as metals, stone, liquids, glass and more esoteric materials. It presents evidence in the form of an extensive inventory of ancient artworks and artifacts, elucidated with quotations from an expansive range of ancient Greek and Roman writings, especially scientific works. It highlights mirrors and glass as advancing technologies in ancient Rome, delving into their practical aspects and giving special attention to glass as a medium for mirrors. From there, it applies this deeper understanding of how mirrors functioned to the abstract ways in which mirrors were understood in Roman society and philosophy, and the reactions that these innovations provoked from Roman people. Finally, it situates these innovations in mirror and glass technology within a larger Roman conversation of novelty, invention, and the future, considering some imagined mirrors in Roman speculative fiction. This volume is of interest not only to students and scholars of ancient Rome, but also to scholars of art history and material culture, history of science and technology, ancient religion and philosophy, and even psychology and sociology.