In addition to this a major new technique in glass production had been introduced during the 1st century AD.[7] Glassblowing allowed glass workers to produce vessels with considerably thinner walls, decreasing the amount of glass needed for each vessel. Glass blowing was also considerably quicker than other techniques, and vessels required considerably less finishing, representing a further saving in time, raw material and equipment. Although earlier techniques dominated during the early Augustan and Julio-Claudian periods,[8] by the middle to late 1st century AD earlier techniques had been largely abandoned in favour of blowing.[3]