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This paper demonstrates the suitability of Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis (PGAA) technique for the compositional study of ancient glass finds, illustrating this idea by presenting and commenting the chemical composition of 41 Roman glass fragments discovered in archaeological excavations at Tomis, Histria, and Beidaud, Romania. According to typological and stratigraphic criteria, most finds were dated to the 1st-4th centuries AD. The PGAA measurements were performed at the Budapest Neutron Centre (BNC), Hungary. Regardless of their color (or the lack of it), most of the analyzed vitreous items have compositional traits often encountered in coeval glass artefacts discovered at various sites all over the Roman Empire. The sample set turned out to include several examples of Foy Série 2.1 and a single HIMT glass item, in agreement with the later chronological attribution of the corresponding fragments. This study provides some information about the chemistry of the Roman glass finds unearthed during the archaeological research performed in the region of the western Black Sea coast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Written sources indicate that Alexandria in Egypt was a leading producer of Roman glass. Furthermore, archaeological finds have provided evidence for the local production of drawn glass and gold‐in‐glass beads, which were distributed throughout the world. In this study, we present an analysis of the chemical composition of more than two hundred glass objects from the Roman (2nd–3rd/4th century ce) and Late Antique (4th/5th–7th century ce) glass bead workshops located at Kom el‐Dikka in Alexandria. This study is based on the results of portable X‐ray fluorescence (pXRF) analyses carried out on raw glass, bead semi‐products, products and waste from both periods. Additionally, the glass chemistry of some Islamic (8th–12th century ce) beads found at the site has been analysed.Despite the limitations of the method, the vast majority of samples exhibited compositions confirming their general dating and Egyptian origin. Remarkably, a single bead was made of high‐alumina glass and appeared to be an import from India, possibly a remnant of the Indo‐Pacific glass bead route that connected Red Sea ports and Europe in Late Antiquity. In addition, we offer a new analytical approach to the method that has potential to enhance the value of pXRF in the analysis of archaeological glass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents two head-shaped vessels from Hungary: a glass bottle from a late Roman cemetery at Intercisa and a janiform bottle from a grave in Csongrád, i.e., the Sarmatian Barbaricum. Thanks to large-scale immigration from the East, the fort and vicus of Intercisa had a significant eastern influence. The most famous unit garrisoned there was the Syrian Cohors I millaria Hemesenorum sagittariorum equitatia civium Romanorum, originally stationed in the Syrian town of Hemesa, where many civilians may have accompanied the troops and moved to Intercisa. Settled down there, the new residents imported several objects from the East, including the two head-shaped vessels presented here.

Despite the large number of unguentaria vessels generally discovered in Roman archeological sites, very little information is available concerning the nature and chemical composition of the products that were originally contained within these artifacts. In this study a combined non-destructive approach that included Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray fluorescence was used for the characterization of some brownish-black residues preserved in a series of glass unguentaria recovered from excavations at the Roman baths from Mălăiești. The obtained results highlighted the presence of different inorganic substances (an earth-based pigment rich in iron and manganese oxides, admixed with traces of lead- and mercury-based compounds) impregnated with an organic binder such as animal glue and possible natural essential oils, a powdered product associated most probably with a cosmetic/pharmacological use. The study allowed a first insight into the composition and origin of these ancient remains, providing important clues that may help to understand the original function of these unguentaria vessels.

This paper reports and discusses the typological characteristics and chemical composition of 93 Roman glass fragments discovered in the Roman fort and baths from Mălăieşti, Prahova County, Romania, dated to AD 102–118. The elemental analysis was performed by simultaneous external particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) and particle-induced gamma-ray emission (PIGE) at the AGLAE accelerator from the basement of the Louvre Palace, Paris, France. This study is part of a larger project, targeting the understanding of the daily life in a military fort at the fringes of the Roman world. The compositional data on glass finds allowed for discussions on the raw materials, the provenance, and the manufacturing techniques. The archaeometric investigations of these Roman glass items pointed to a rich palette of chemical types of glass, offering circumstantial indicators on the connections of this rather remote site with the rest of the empire during the early second century AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roman glass is well studied and known to have been produced from a mineral soda source and calcareous sand with variation between elements relating to naturally occurring minerals in the sands. While the common characteristics of colourants and opacifiers used in opaque and translucent glasses are well understood, the diverse elemental composition of colouring agents associated with the highly specialised, and largely unexplored, technique of enamel-painted glass has never been firmly established. There remains a significant gap in knowledge of pigments used for this technological innovation which is here addressed through the deployment of non-invasive portable X-ray Flourescence (pXRF) analysis and microphotography on a unique Roman enamel-painted gladiator glass from Vindolanda fort. This vanguard research has successfully established, for the first time, a palette of pigments associated with this specialist technique. It is now possible to unravel previously unknown information on complex manufacturing processes and significantly expand the repertoire of the pigments bound up in enamelling recipes used to depict the striking iconographic scenes on the Vindolanda vessel and, potentially, other Roman enamelled glassware. The detection of Cinnabar, Egyptian blue, Orpiment and other pigments are ground-breaking discoveries that will have a transformative impact on early glassmaking studies and push the boundaries of scholarship into new directions of analytical approaches in heritage materials science to complement recent success in this field with Raman spectroscopy and other techniques. The methodology is unprecedented and has been validated through the high quality of the resulting data which permits the extrapolation of elemental compositions of enamelling materials from those associated with the base vessel. This unique approach provides remarkable insights that will revolutionise our understanding of enamelling technologies using the Vindolanda vessel as the investigative platform for forgotten practice.

Thirty six glass items excavated at Cârlomăneşti and Pietroasa Mică, Buzău County, Romania (3rd c. BC – 1st c. AD) were analysed for their chemical composition using external PIXE-PIGE at AGLAE accelerator, Paris and external PIXE at the 3 MV Tandetron™ accelerator, Măgurele, to reveal the raw materials and manufacturing procedures, trying to reconstruct the links between the Geto-Dacian populations and the Hellenistic, Celtic and Roman ones during that historical time. The archaeological hypothesis was that these vitreous artefacts were luxury goods imported as such, made of fresh glass. The analyses showed that the objects were shaped from natron glass, with recipes typical for the Hellenistic period. Occasionally, glass recycling indicators were evidenced. Hints about the decolorizers (antimony, manganese) or chromophores (manganese, iron, cobalt, copper) were obtained. This archaeometric study is a pioneering one, considering the absence from the literature of compositional data on glass finds discovered in Geto-Dacian settlements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The collection of early to mid-Roman glasses from the Kom el-Dikka site in Alexandria has been expanded to include new finds from the excavation of substantial remains of Roman domestic architecture (Houses FA and FB) in Sector F in the central part of the site. The range of vessel forms in this new set is not extensive, and shapes known from previous investigations in this sector are repeated to a degree. The most noteworthy contribution is the new data on colourless glassware of the period, a category that has hitherto been represented by a rather limited number of finds from the excavations, and which constitutes key evidence of artisanal activities in the final occupation phase of the Roman houses here.

Se ha realizado una aproximación arqueométrica a un conjunto de vidrios romanos procedentes de Segobriga (Saelices, Cuenca) con el propósito de conocer sus peculiaridades tecnológicas, las características de las materias primas y su estado de conservación. Mediante el uso de técnicas químico-físicas convencionales (UV-Vis, FRX, MEBEC y EDS) se ha determinado que se trata de vidrios de silicato sódico cálcico a los que se aportó natrón mineral como fundente. El material es de gran calidad con respecto a otros vidrios hispanos debido a la selección de arenas ricas en cuarzo y pobres en impurezas de hierro. Además, los vidrieros usaron óxidos de manganeso y de antimonio para decolorar el vidrio. La materia prima procede probablemente del Mediterráneo Oriental y viajó a los talleres occidentales y del interior peninsular. Los vidrios han experimentado una degradación superficial causada por el ataque del agua durante el enterramiento y la acumulación de depósitos ricos en carbonatos.

This study aims at the characterisation of red and orange glass tesserae from the 4th-century Roman villa of Noheda (Spain). Due to the limited number of analyses available for such ancient materials, many questions remain unanswered about the production processes in the Roman period. Six samples were chosen for their hue variations, including two samples showing banded patterns of red and orange. Differences in copper speciation were investigated by X-ray absorption spectroscopy and compared with colour and compositional variations obtained by EPMA. The shapes and sizes of colouring crystals could be investigated using scanning and transmission electron microscope imaging. The brown-red colour is due to metallic copper nano-particles and corresponds to a low-copper and low-lead group usually described in the literature. The orange samples and bands are coloured by copper oxide Cu2O nanoparticles with remaining Cu+ in the glass and have greater contents of Cu. Compositional analyses reveal that the same base glass is used in the red and orange bands with additions of Cu, Sn, Pb and probable Fe. Furthermore, based on our results and on the literature review, a high-copper low-lead group of glasses highlights the variability of compositions observed in cuprite colours.

Roman glass is well studied and known to have been produced from a mineral soda source and calcareous sand with variation between elements relating to naturally occurring minerals in the sands. While the common characteristics of colourants and opacifiers used in opaque and translucent glasses are well understood, the diverse elemental composition of colouring agents associated with the highly specialised, and largely unexplored, technique of enamel-painted glass has never been firmly established. There remains a significant gap in knowledge of pigments used for this technological innovation which is here addressed through the deployment of non-invasive portable X-ray Flourescence (pXRF) analysis and microphotography on a unique Roman enamel-painted gladiator glass from Vindolanda fort. This vanguard research has successfully established, for the first time, a palette of pigments associated with this specialist technique. It is now possible to unravel previously unknown information on complex manufacturing processes and significantly expand the repertoire of the pigments bound up in enamelling recipes used to depict the striking iconographic scenes on the Vindolanda vessel and, potentially, other Roman enamelled glassware. The detection of Cinnabar, Egyptian blue, Orpiment and other pigments are ground-breaking discoveries that will have a transformative impact on early glassmaking studies and push the boundaries of scholarship into new directions of analytical approaches in heritage materials science to complement recent success in this field with Raman spectroscopy and other techniques. The methodology is unprecedented and has been validated through the high quality of the resulting data which permits the extrapolation of elemental compositions of enamelling materials from those associated with the base vessel. This unique approach provides remarkable insights that will revolutionise our understanding of enamelling technologies using the Vindolanda vessel as the investigative platform for forgotten practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archaeological research at Noviodunum led to the discovery of a significant number of glass fragments, showcasing a great typological variety of vessels and objects covering a wide chronological interval: from the Early Roman period, Middle-Byzantine, late medieval period, or the modern and contemporary age Within the Noviodunum 2030 research project, one of the objectives is the study of different categories of artifacts, to identify the economic centers and commercial routes, which linked Noviodunum to the regional trade in the Roman, Middle-Byzantine, and Medieval periods. The analyzed lot is composed of materials dated to the Late Roman period (4th-7th centuries AD), discovered during archaeological investigations carried out at the South-Eastern Enclosure, campaigns 1997-2013, as well as several chance finds, made on the Cliff (Precinct N), the Fortress or the Civil Settlement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents two head-shaped vessels from Hungary: a glass bottle from a late Roman cemetery at Intercisa and a janiform bottle from a grave in Csongrad, i.e., the Sarmatian Barbaricum. Thanks to large-scale immigration from the East, the fort and vicus of Intercisa had a significant eastern influence. The most famous unit garrisoned there was the Syrian Cohors I miliaria Hemesenorum sagittariorum equitatia civium Romanorum, originally stationed in the Syrian town of Hemesa, where many civilians may have accompanied the troops and moved to Intercisa. Settled down there, the new residents imported several objects from the East, including the two head-shaped vessels presented here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During antiquity, it is known that glass was produced in specialized primary workshops in Levant and Egypt, and this glass was melted and formed into objects in secondary workshops, and distributed in most cities and towns of the Roman Empire. Great efforts, although it is difficult, have been made to distinguish where it was produced. In this study, we perform chemical analysis on 48 glass samples (22 moils and 26 glass artefacts) dated to the 6th century CE from Vasileos Irakleiou Street, 45, Thessaloniki in northern Greece by using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with Energy–Dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX). All glasses were produced with natron as a flux and based on the sodium oxide content we divided them into two groups. Most of the glasses' chemical analysis indicates that they originated from Egypt, and can be categorized as HIMT and others as Roman Mn or Roman Mn-Sb. MnO is the main decolorizer, while in some samples MnO coexists with Sb2O3. Finally, recycling processes are evident in most of the samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several different types of burial were identified during the excavation of the Roman military cemetery associated with the fort at Birdoswald, on Hadrian’s Wall (UK). Fragments of glass vessels and glass beads were recovered from many of the cremation deposits, as they were commonly used during cremation rituals, and many of these had been affected by heat. X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to investigate the raw materials, colorants and opacifiers employed to produce the glass assemblage. Most of the large fragments are transparent with a blue-green colour, with a composition typical of recycled glass. The smaller fragments are from beads and are coloured and sometimes opaque. Colourants and opacifiers characteristic of Roman glass were added in this glass formulation, including cobalt-based compounds (blue glass), copper alloys (green glass), white calcium antimonate, and yellow lead antimonate. The multianalytical approach of this research has allowed for the distinguishing of the extreme depletion of sodium on the surface of the melted glass fragments due to the exposure to high temperatures during the cremation process, followed by surface weathering in a burial environment. Based on the chemical composition of the bulk of the samples, a model of high temperature viscosity of glass was applied in order to assess the cremation temperature in the pyre, providing relevant information about funerary rituals and cremation technology in Roman Britain.

A group of glass shards recovered from the fill of shaft tombs from the Third Intermediate Period on the Upper Terrace of the Temple of Hatshepsut in Deir el-Bahari consists for the most part of non-diagnostic body vessel fragments. At least 17 different vessels are attested in this assemblage, assigned to the 4th century AD, with only two pieces dated to the 1st–3rd centuriesAD. In addition to the vessels, a few windowpanes from the 6th–8th century AD were also found. This small group of glass finds is the first ever to be published from the Temple of Hatshepsut.

Artefact collections are a key means for many people to interact with classical antiquity. The physicality of objects easily appeals to the imagination, evoking associations between the object and the viewer's experiences. Reception of artefacts is thus multilayered, even regarding what may seem to be very simple objects, such as ancient glass vessels uncovered and collected around the middle of the nineteenth century. Drawing on research into the Damon Collection (Canterbury Museum, New Zealand) this study explores Victorian reception of Roman glass, demonstrating the many and often complex ways in which objects of utilitarian origin in classical antiquity gained new meaning and surprising popularity among a broad public. Glass vessels were receptacles for ideas and the imagination, from adventure to questions of religion and empire. In particular, vessels identified as 'lachrymatories' became a very personal empathetic link to the classical past, with influence on popular imagination enduring to the present day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims at the characterisation of red and orange glass tesserae from the 4th-century Roman villa of Noheda (Spain). Due to the limited number of analyses available for such ancient materials, many questions remain unanswered about the production processes in the Roman period. Six samples were chosen for their hue variations, including two samples showing banded patterns of red and orange. Differences in copper speciation were investigated by X-ray absorption spectroscopy and compared with colour and compositional variations obtained by EPMA. The shapes and sizes of colouring crystals could be investigated using scanning and transmission electron microscope imaging. The brown-red colour is due to metallic copper nano-particles and corresponds to a low-copper and low-lead group usually described in the literature. The orange samples and bands are coloured by copper oxide C u 2 O nanoparticles with remaining Cu+ in the glass and have greater contents of Cu. Compositional analyses reveal that the same base glass is used in the red and orange bands with additions of Cu, Sn, Pb and probable Fe. Furthermore, based on our results and on the literature review, a high-copper low-lead group of glasses highlights the variability of compositions observed in cuprite colours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analytical data of Roman and early Islamic glass established several primary glass production groups linked to glassmaking centres in the Levant and in Egypt. In contrast, the activities of secondary glass workshops are largely invisible in the compositional fingerprint of first millennium glass. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) of 261 glass finds from the Visigothic settlement of Tolmo de Minateda (Spain) revealed a site‐specific contamination pattern due to secondary glass processing and recycling, namely the enrichment of the glass batch by a unique combination of rare alkali elements (Li, K, Rb, Cs). With a median of 21 ppm, Li is particularly distinctive. Elevated lithium contents (Li>30 ppm) are also one of the characteristic features of Iberian plant ash glass from the Islamic period. The earliest known examples of this type of glass were found among the ninth‐century remains from Tolmo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glass-bead production was a major craft industry in Northern Europe during the Early Middle Ages. This was a time characterized by a fragmentation of long-distance exchange networks in Eurasia, and of rapid change in raw glass production and distribution. We report results from glass recovered from two bead-making workshops within the trading emporium of Ribe, Denmark (eighth century CE). Ninety pieces of tesserae, vessel fragments, cullet, crucibles, workshop refuse and beads were analyzed for major and trace element by electron microprobe and laser ablation ICP-MS. Isotopic compositions were measured on thirteen samples for Sr and on six samples for Hf. For the Early workshop and contemporary material, the results demonstrate a use of recycled Roman and Late Antique glass including Egyptian HIMT, Foy 2.1 and Foy 3.2. White beads were made by remelting gold leaf tesserae at low temperature, creating bubbles and thus opaque white. Blue glass present as glass splinters is explained as melting blue tesserae together with mainly gold leaf tesserae thereby diluting Sb and Ca to obtain translucent glass by preventing crystallization of calcium antimonates. Vessel glass cullet is heavily contaminated Roman-type glass. The range of colours in the Late workshop shows evidence of glass mixing and addition of colourant for colours including black, red, green and yellow. Mixing of recycled glass with lead stannate in sherds from glass crucibles show that green and yellow colouring was carried out on site. Both workshops show a more complex processing from tesserae and cullet to beads than suggested by previous analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the chemical composition of 36 glass finds from Histria, Romania, mainly dated to the Late Antique period (4th–6th c. AD) obtained by Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis (PGAA) at the Budapest Neutron Centre (BNC). Histria glass fragments were identified as Série 2.1, Série 3.2, and Série 3.3 of Foy, HIMT, Roman, and Sb decolorized. Most of the analyzed objects were manufactured from glass originating in Egyptian primary workshops. These analytical results are an additional proof for the trade connection of Histria with the rest of the Roman Empire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several different types of burial were identified during the excavation of the Roman military cemetery associated with the fort at Birdoswald, on Hadrian's Wall (UK). Fragments of glass vessels and glass beads were recovered from many of the cremation deposits, as they were commonly used during cremation rituals, and many of these had been affected by heat. X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to investigate the raw materials, colorants and opacifiers employed to produce the glass assemblage. Most of the large fragments are transparent with a blue-green colour, with a composition typical of recycled glass. The smaller fragments are from beads and are coloured and sometimes opaque. Colourants and opacifiers characteristic of Roman glass were added in this glass formulation, including cobalt-based compounds (blue glass), copper alloys (green glass), white calcium antimonate, and yellow lead antimonate. The multianalytical approach of this research has allowed for the distinguishing of the extreme depletion of sodium on the surface of the melted glass fragments due to the exposure to high temperatures during the cremation process, followed by surface weathering in a burial environment. Based on the chemical composition of the bulk of the samples, a model of high temperature viscosity of glass was applied in order to assess the cremation temperature in the pyre, providing relevant information about funerary rituals and cremation technology in Roman Britain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• PGAA analyses on selected Roman glass finds from Romania. • Various recipes typical for the Roman and Late Antique periods. • One plant ash glass find imported from the Sasanian Empire. This paper reports the results of Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis (PGAA) analyses on 21 glass fragments discovered at Tropaeum Traiani, Carsium, Ulmetum, and Altinum , Constanţa County, Romania, dated to the 1st-6th c. AD. The chemical data indicate a broad palette of compositions: Sb-colorless, Mn-colorless, Sb-Mn colorless, typical blue-green Roman, Série 2.1 and Série 3.2 of Foy glass. A plant ash glass sample was identified – most likely a fragment of a vessel imported from the Sasanian Empire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The collection of early to mid-Roman glasses from the Kom el-Dikka site in Alexandria has been augmented by new finds from the excavation of substantial remains of Roman domestic architecture (Houses FA and FB) in Sector F in the central part of the site. The range of vessel forms in this new set is not extensive, and shapes known from previous investigations in this sector are repeated to a degree. The most noteworthy contribution is the new data on colourless glassware of the period, a category that has hitherto been represented by a rather limited number of finds from the excavations, and which constitutes key evidence of artisanal activities in the final occupation phase of the Roman houses here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject of this study consists of 17 ancient glass fragments from the island of Ustica (Palermo, Italy) obtained from local museums. All the 17 glass fragments are stratigraphically decontextualized, as they were collected by archaeological surface surveys. Each fragment was analyzed by Electron Micro Probe Analyzer coupled with an Energy Dispersive X-Ray System (EMPA-EDS) and by Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to obtain the composition of major, minor and trace elements. Surface analyses revealed the presence of corrosion layers in most of the glass fragments which was evident also in the chemical data. Nevertheless, reconstruction of the glassmaking processes and the approximate period of production was possible for almost all the glass fragments. Less than half of the examined fragments are attributable to recognizable typologies as unguentaria, beakers, bottles, and vases; all the other small fragments are typologically undetermined. Out of 17 fragments only one fragment is of HLLA composition possibly being produced in 17th–18th century AD, while all the others can be attributed to soda glass with different periods of production: natron glass from Roman and Early Medieval period, plant-ash glass from High or Late Medieval period with the exception of possible Byzantine glass from 6th century AD, and synthetic soda glasses typical of modern era. These data confirm the discontinuous habitation of the island from the Roman period as well as the import of glass objects to the island.

This paper reports the compositional characterization of eighty-two glass fragments discovered in archaeological contexts at Tropaeum Traiani (Adamclisi, Constanţa county, Romania), most of them dated to the 4th–6th centuries AD, in an attempt to understand the glass consumption and circulation in the Lower Danube region during the Late Antique period. The analytical results were obtained using external Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) and Particle Induced Gamma-ray Emission (PIGE) techniques at the New AGLAE accelerator located in the basement of the Louvre Palace, Paris, France. The chemical data were compared to those on coeval glass finds from the literature. The naturally colored Tropaeum Traiani glass fragments turned out to belong to Série 2.1 of Foy, Série 3.2 of Foy, HIMT (high iron manganese titanium), and HIT (high iron titanium) compositional groups of Late Antique glass. The lack of color in several fragments was obtained either through the use of antimony or manganese compounds; intermediate recipes for colorless vessels, indicative for recycling procedures, were evidenced as well. The sample set also included several naturally colored blue and green glasses dated to the Early Roman period which showed compositional patterns typical for Roman Imperial glass. The variety in the chemistry of the vitreous finds reported in this paper, demonstrated by the identification of different glass types previously encountered in contemporary objects from many archaeological sites from the Mediterranean Sea and Balkan Mountains regions during the Late Antique period, reflects the trade connections of the settlements from the Lower Danube and the Black Sea region with the rest of the Roman world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aims to characterise the chemical composition of Roman opaque red glass sectilia dated to the 2nd century A.D and to shed light on Roman glassmaking production of different shades of red, from red to reddish-brown. Due to the lack of technical historical sources for this period many questions about technological aspects still remain. In this project a multi-disciplinary approach is in progress to investigate the red glass sectilia with several red hues from the Imperial Villa of Lucius Verus (161−169 A.D.) in Rome. First, colorimetric measurements were taken to identify the various red hues. The second step was chemical characterization of the samples and the identification of crystalline colouring phases. Particle Induced X-Ray Emission (PIXE) analysis was used to investigate the chemical composition of these glass samples, while the crystalline phases were identified by Raman Spectroscopy and Scanning Electrons Microscope with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (SEM-EDS). Using SEM-EDS nanoparticles were detected as a colouring agent, the chemical composition and the morphology of which has been studied in depth. This information has been compared with the colorimetric analysis to establish any correlation with the different colour hues.

A group of glass shards recovered from the fill of shaft tombs from the Third Intermediate Period on the Upper Terrace of the Temple of Hatshepsut in Deir el-Bahari consists for the most part of non-diagnostic body vessel fragments. At least 17 different vessels are attested in this assemblage, assigned to the 4th century AD, with only two pieces dated to the 1st–3rd centuries AD. In addition to the vessels, a few windowpanes from the 6th–8th century AD were also found. This small group of glass finds is the first ever to be published from the Temple of Hatshepsut. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkaline glazes were first used on clay-based ceramics in Mesopotamia around 1500 B.C., at the same time as the appearance of glass vessels. The Roman Empire used lead-based glazes, with alkaline natron glass being used only to produce objects of glass. Chemical analysis has had some success determining compositional groups for Roman/Byzantine/early Islamic glasses because of the discovery of major production sites. Parthian and Sasanian glass and glazed wares, however, have been found only in consumption assemblages, which have failed to inform on how they were made. Here we reanalyse compositional data for Parthian and Sasanian glazes and present new analyses for Parthian glazed pottery excavated at the early third century A.D. Roman military outpost of Ain Sinu in northern Iraq. We show that some Parthian glazes are from a different tradition to typical Mesopotamian glazes and have compositions similar to Roman glass. We propose that Roman glass was recycled by Parthian potters, thereby suggesting that as yet undiscovered Mesopotamian glass production centres ordinarily supplied glass for indigenous glazed pottery. Furthermore, if recycling glass to make glazed pottery was extended to indigenous glassware, this may provide an explanation for the paucity of Parthian and Sasanian glass in the archaeological record. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most juglet pendants are of 4th century from Pannonia, the glass is frequently dark, appearing black. Although juglet pendants have a greater concentration in the eastern Mediterranean, they are also widely attested in the empire's western half. The following paper1 presents nine specimens from Hungary, eight from Pannonia Province. Three exemplars were parts of grave inventories, whose other items are also known (Bogád, Csongrád and Ságvár). All three burials can be securely dated to the fourth century. Despite the attractiveness of M. Stern's suggestion, there is no good reason to associate the Pannonian juglet pendants recovered from mortuary contexts with Christianity. The pieces from Pannonia would rather suggest that juglet pendants cannot be associated with Christian beliefs because the other grave goods in the burials from which they were recovered belie this association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Polish literature, the perception of the organisation of glass production during the Roman Empire was shaped mostly in the 1980s and the 1990s. Thus the local model of glass production prevailed in these publications. In this paper, based on archaeological and written sources, the author challenges this point of view towards the centralised model of glass production widely accepted by scholars.

The chemical composition of 48 glass finds from Histria and Tomis, Romania, chiefly dated to the 1st–4th c. AD, was determined using prompt gamma activation analysis (PGAA) at the Budapest Neutron Centre (BNC). Most fragments have composition typical for the Roman naturally colored blue-green-yellow (RNCBGY) glass; Mn-colorless, Sb-colorless, and Sb–Mn colorless glass finds were evidenced, too. Several Foy Série 2.1 and Foy Série 3.2 glass fragments, as well as an HIMT and a plant ash glass sample, were identified in the studied assemblage. The archaeological evidence, the glass working waste items, and the samples with compositional patterns suggestive of recycling are proofs of the secondary glass working activities at Tomis during the Early Roman Empire period.

Roman glass is studied here by means of optical absorption spectroscopy, in order to provide an objective method to quantitatively evaluate colour. The dataset is composed of 165 soda-lime silicate glass samples from various western European sites, mainly dated from the first to fourth century AD, and containing variable amounts of iron, manganese and/or antimony. Iron redox ratios and colour coordinates (based on the CIELab colour system) are determined and put in relation with the thickness of samples and their manganese/antimony contents. Results reveal thickness as a crucial parameter when discussing glass hues, thus leading to a differentiation between the ‘intrinsic’ and ‘perceived’ colour of glass objects (i.e. the colour of the object with the thickness normalised to 1 mm, and that with its original thickness, respectively). Apart from HIMT and purple glass, the concentration of ferrous iron appears to be correlated with a* — a colourimetric parameter determining how green the glass is. Significant relations of antimony/manganese contents versus iron redox and glass colour are also considered, resulting in quantitative arguments to entitle antimony-decoloured glass as the most oxidised and colourless glass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses glass counters found at archaeological sites from the Roman Iron Age in Poland. These items have not yet been fully investigated upon. Glass counters are mainly found at cemeteries, and most of them were discovered in assemblages from phases C1b-C2. Description of counters and their sets includes colour, size and possible production method, context of discovery and chronology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses glass finds from the Polish excavations at Beit Ras, ancient Capitolias. During two seasons (2015–2016) of fieldwork a relatively large amount of glass fragments was unearthed in the two main excavated areas. The material is from contexts dated to the late Roman through early Islamic periods, spanning a time from the 4th to roughly the 8th century AD. The assemblage includes mainly tableware like bowls, plates, drinking vessels, and also a significant amount of raw-glass chunks. Apart from glass material coming from the excavated squares, a selection of items from the survey in 2014 completes the corpora of glass coming from the ancient settlement.

Despite the fact that iconographic studies are recognized as an important tool for understanding antiquity, there are few references among scholars of Roman window glass to this field. This paper, which analyses images in reliefs, mosaics and wall paintings, demonstrates how representations of window glass are more common than hitherto argued. The data from these analyses provide important information about the chronology, use and availability of this type of material, adding to the small body of knowledge regarding an object little understood in scholarly circles, although windows are believed to be one of the most widespread applications of glass in the Roman era.

Snake-thread glass vessels were used from the late 2nd to the mid-3rd century AD. At least two production centres/distribution circles have been identified in the western part of the Roman Empire, which probably owed their existence to Syrian glassmaking artisans migrating to the west. One was located in the Rhine region, the other in Pannonia. Considering the distribution of snake-thread glass fragments known to date from Pannonia, it is striking that 52 of the currently known 112 fragments were found at Intercisa, 45 exemplars came to light at Brigetio and only a few pieces are known from other sites. It is remarkable that in both towns, glass workshops were active during the same period and there is also some evidence that snake-thread glass had been produced in the workshop of Brigetio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a rescue excavation of a Roman funerary complex located at the city of Patras, Achaia, Greece, an assemblage of high quality glass vessels of the 2nd-3rd c. AD was recovered. Here we present the results from the physicochemical examination of the collection using a combination of non-destructive techniques, namely optical microscopy, portable X-Ray Fluorescence, Scanning Electron Microscopy and Infrared spectroscopy (IR) techniques. The analyses resulted in the chemical characterization of the glass samples and the identification of a rare example of soda plant-ash glass. Moreover, madder lake was identified as the original content of several glass vessels. Finally, the effect of the original content on the corrosion processes was investigated, along with issues of biocorrosion. Statement of significance The interdisciplinary study of an assemblage of 2nd-3rd c. AD Roman funerary vessel glasses from Patras, Greece is reported. The archaeological and archaeometric study of Roman glass in south and central Greece has so far been limited. The present work is the first attempt to examine the complete chaîne opératoire of Roman funerary glass vessels, using a multi-technique approach. More specifically, the basic aims of the study were (1) the chemical characterization of the glass and the determination of the raw materials used; (2) the determination of the original content of the vessels; and (3) the examination of the corrosion effects on the glass.

This paper presents the analysis of decoloured and naturally coloured glass from well-dated contexts in the southwest corner of the Roman fort at Oudenburg (Belgium) ranging from the late second to the early fifth century AD. The aim is three-fold. First, provide comparative material in the study of glass consumption from the northwestern provinces of the Roman Empire. Secondly, evaluate possible diachronic shifts in the applied decolourizing agent to produce colourless glass as to assess potential correlations between glass production recipes, provenance and chrono-typology. Finally, provide an added value to the research of glass recycling and mixing in the Roman imperial period. Nine subgroups are distinguished based on their chemical composition determined by LA-ICP-MS: Sb-only, two groups of Mn-only, four groups of mixed Mn-Sb, HIMT and one glass without any decolouring agent. The Sb-decoloured glass is used in the earliest phases and can be attributed to an Egyptian provenance. The two subgroups of Mn-glass likely come from different provenances: one from Egypt and the other later one from the Levant. Most of the glass shows high marks of mixing based on high trace elements concentrations and the simultaneous presence of antimony and manganese. Inhomogeneous mixing of manganese and antimony was also detected through μXRF. One Mn-Sb subgroup likely comes from mixing antimony glass with HIMT. The obtained results help better recognise the shifts in applied glass recipes throughout the Roman imperial period and improve our understanding about the mixing and recycling of glass to supply a Roman military camp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The collection of the National Museum in Prague contains also an atypical crescent‑shaped glass bottle (inv. no. H10-142). It is one of the oldest acquisitions in the collection and it was no longer possible to find any information concerning its provenance. It is a vessel of a curious shape and unknown function, with no known comparanda. Analysis of its elementary composition has shown that it is made of natron glass. In comparison with other samples taken from Roman glass of the 1st–3rd centuries AD from the collection of the National Museum, the difference is minimal; it differs only by a slightly lower concentration of CaO, MgO, TiO2 and MnO. Therefore, it may probably be considered another experimental product of the Roman glassmakers, such as, for example – the rhyta, the flask with doves from Cologne or the small vessels in the shape of various animals.

En este artículo analizamos la iconografía de un plato de vidrio encontrado en Cástulo con la representación de la Tradicio legis o transmisión de la ley de Cristo a los apóstoles Pedro y Pablo.In this paper we analyze the iconography of a glass bowl found in Cástulo showing the representation of the Traditio legis, or «transmission of the law» of Christ to apostles Peter and Paul.

En este trabajo se han estudiado vidrios romanos de Bracara Augusta, actualmente Braga (Portugal), a través de su composición química, analizando los constituyentes mayoritarios, minoritarios y traza mediante espectrometría de plasma-masas (ICPMS). Los resultados obtenidos han sido tratados estadísticamente, por un lado realizando diversos análisis univariantes, y por otro llevando a cabo una clasificación de las muestras mediante análisis de clasificación jerárquica y varios análisis discriminantes. Se llega a la conclusión de que, si bien todas las muestras de vidrio presentan una composición parecida en cuanto a los elementos mayoritarios, existen algunas diferencias significativas tanto en éstos como en los elementos minoritarios estudiados que permiten su clasificación. Además, mediante el análisis discriminante se establecen grupos en función de la datación de los vidrios y se pueden incluir en ellos las muestras previamente no datadas en los grupos anteriores.In this work Roman glass from Bracara Augusta, nowadays Braga (Portugal), were studied through their chemical composition, analyzing the major, minor and trace constituents using plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The obtained data were statistically analysed, with the following statistical methodologies: (i) various univariate analyses and (ii) several multivariate analyses which gave rise to a sample classification using hierarchical classification and by multiple discriminant analyses. Results concluded that, while all the glass samples showed a similar composition in terms of major components, there were some significant differences in these and in the minor components that allowed their classification. Furthermore, discriminant analysis helped to establish groups based on the dating of the glass and include undated samples in the previous stated groups.

Ancient glass objects typically show distinctive effects of deterioration as a result of environmentally induced physicochemical transformations of their surface over time. Iridescence is one of the distinctive signatures of aging that is most commonly found on excavated glass. In this work, we present an ancient glass fragment that exhibits structural color through surface weathering resulting in iridescent patinas caused by silica reprecipitation in nanoscale lamellae. This archaeological artifact reveals an unusual hierarchically assembled photonic crystal with extremely ordered nanoscale domains, high spectral selectivity, and reflectivity (~90%), that collectively behaves like a gold mirror. Optical characterization paired with nanoscale elemental analysis further underscores the high quality of this structure providing a window into this sophisticated natural photonic crystal assembled by time.