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Spreading West
Most of the major sites during the early days
of glassmaking were located near the eastern Mediterranean coast,
approximately six miles from shore. The nearby, forested hillsides
provided fuel for the furnaces and a gentle early evening breeze
would keep the furnace temperature hot. The short distance to the coast
was convenient for the collection of raw materials and, subsequently,
for the transportation of bulk glass stock to glassworking centers.
As glassmaking spread westward during the reign
of Emperor Augustus (27 B.C.çA.D. 14), several major centers
of production developed near coastal cities such as Naples and Aquileia
in Italy, and Tarragona on the eastern Spanish coast.
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Early glassmaking
sites on the Italian peninsula
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