Ancient glass shards are excavated in Afghanistan, along the Silk Road, a network of trade routes that connected cultures and merchants and spanned from the 2^nd century BCE to the 18^th century.  The glass is believed to have originated in Rome, where glassware became incredibly popularized during the Roman Empire with the invention of glass blowing, around 50 BCE, which brought glassware into the homes of most Romans and was used on a daily basis. It was then traded along the Silk Road.  Because it is excavated in Afghanistan, I choose to call it “ancient glass” instead of “ancient Roman glass.”