HaMizgaga Museum in Kibbutz Nachshalim
HaMizgaga Museum is fascinating museum located close to Dor National Park. The building is from 1891 and was formerly a glass factory built by Baron Edmond de Rothschild in 1981 for making bottles for his wines. This was his first industrial venture in Palestine, but was unsuccessful. The glass that was manufactured was not of good quality and it was cheaper to import bottles. Kibbutz Nachshalim converted the building into a museum.
There are displays of archeological findings from the tel and port, including glassware, an exquisite mosaic, and military hardware from Napoleon’s campaign. Also, a movie on the manufacture of the purple dye techeles from the murix shellfish. Outside the museum is a to-size copy of Ma’agan Michael merchant vessel from the 5th century BCE, the original being displayed in the Hecht Museum in Haifa.
Directions: Enter “Mizgaga Museum” into Waze.
Admission: The museum is open Sunday to Thursday 9.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m., Friday 9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. and Saturday for groups only. Their phone number is 04 639 0950. Admission is 34 NIS and 17 NIS for children 5 to 18 and seniors. Their phone number is 04-639 0950. This is their website
Public transport: Enter “Mizgaga Museum” into Moovit. The bus stop is close to the museum.
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Glass production in the ancient world
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Ancient glass was typically made from three core ingredients: silica (usually sand), flux (natron or plant ash) to lower the melting point, and lime as a stabilizer to improve durability. Colorants and opacifiers were added to achieve specific visual effects. Broken glass was routinely remelted, and glass was one of the earliest recyclable materials.
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Mesopotamia is often credited with pioneering early glassmaking, and the earliest glass objects appeared in the Near East during the mid–third millennium BCE. These were not vessels but small items such as beads, inlays, and decorative plaques. These early glasses were opaque and vividly colored through the addition of copper or cobalt compounds. Egypt soon became a major center of glass production, particularly during the New Kingdom (c. 1550–1070 BCE). Egyptian craftsmen perfected core-forming, a technique in which molten glass was shaped around a removable core of clay and sand. This allowed for the creation of small bottles for perfumes, oils, and cosmetics. Glass was then regarded as a semi-precious material.
From the Late Bronze Age through the Roman and Byzantine periods, Israel was both a technological innovator and major production center for glassmaking, and this evolved from small-scale craft production into a globally influential industry.
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A technological revolution in the first century BCE was the invention of glassblowing, most likely in the Syro-Palestinian region (modern Israel, Lebanon, and Syria). By inflating molten glass on the end of a hollow tube, artisans could produce vessels rapidly, cheaply, and in a wide variety of shapes. This innovation dramatically reduced production costs and transformed glass from a luxury item into a common household material.
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By the Late Roman and Byzantine periods (4th–7th centuries CE), Israel had become one of the world’s leading centers of primary glass production. Unlike secondary workshops, primary factories produced raw glass in massive tank furnaces, sometimes yielding several tons per firing.
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The Arab conquest in the 7th century CE disrupted long-distance trade networks but did not end glass production. Early Islamic glassmakers in the region inherited Roman and Byzantine techniques and went on to introduce new decorative styles and technologies.
The reproduction of the Ma'aagan Michael boat in the Hecht Museum. The original method of construction was used.
A very fine mosaic found on Tel Dor made from stones and glass. The scene involves Dionysus, the god of wine.