Fire and Sand
Sand is mostly crushed quartz,
a compound of the elements silicon and oxygen.
Glass is melted sand.
Sand becomes glass through a multi-step process that starts with extreme heat. The process was invented in Mesopotamia thousands of years ago. It was well-established among the Semitic people by the time the Israelites entered the Promised Land. Thus Moses blessed the tribe of Zebulun, whose portion was the sandy beach, saying: "Rejoice, Zebulun...for [you] shall suck the abundance of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand." (Deut. 33:18-19) Glass was one of those "hidden treasures." Merchant ships carrying glass brought commercial wealth to the people of Zebulun's land.
The know-how to make glass from sand was unique to the ancient Middle East. But making pottery is nearly universal.
Almost everywhere in the world, since the beginnings of civilization, people have made vessels, bricks and other useful items from clay, a structural variation of sand. Fire turns the soft clay into rock-hard ceramic. The bricks made by Israelite slaves in Egypt were a composite of straw mixed with clay. In our own era, we've learned to transform sand into many other useful products, from concrete to computers, to silicone sealants and cookware...and that's just the beginning!
The World’s a Beach
Upon first sight of their portion in the Holy Land, the tribe of Zebulun was appalled. “It’s all sand,” they complained to the Creator! “There’s nothing here but sand! And salt water…sand and sea! What kind of portion is that?” A most excellent portion, as it turned out. The clean, bright sand of the Mediterranean [...]
His Maker’s Breath
Glass—so malleable when molten, so fragile when solid—is a metaphor for the human being. Thus the awesome words of prayer on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, in which we compare G-d to a series of craftsman: Behold, as glass in the hand of the glass-blower, who, as he wishes forms it, and as he [...]
From Sand to Glass
Glassmaking--the know-how to turn sand into glass--was discovered in only one place and time: Mesopotamia, some 4000 to 5000 years ago.[1] This is remarkable. Why? Because all the other basic materials technologies—pottery, weaving, working in stone, wood, then metals--were discovered one by one in every part of the ancient world, each in their own times. [...]