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Forty-six glass finds, including vessel fragments, windows, one inlay and one indicator of production (moil) excavated in the dump of the Sarno Baths in Pompeii were selected for an interdisciplinary technological, typological and chemical study. The identification of the moil demonstrates that a glassblowing workshop most likely existed in Pompeii, thus putting an end to a long-standing scientific debate. The LA-ICP-MS chemical data show that Roman-Mn base glass predominates, along with few Egyptian natron-type glasses and some plant-ash glass of probable Egyptian origin as well. A large proportion of the analysed glass, including the moil, consists of recycled compositions, suggesting the existence of an efficient system of collection and recycling of glass, which was active even at a time when the city had an abundant supply of fresh glass. The demand for raw glass in Pompeii far exceeded the average demand of other Roman towns, because glass containers were essential for the flourishing perfume industry in Pompeii and Campania. The proximity of the Sarno dump to the perfume district in the south-western part of the city and to the horrea of the Sanctuary of Venus suggests the possible location of the glass workshop in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excavations in the Roman villa of Aiano yielded twenty glass beads, a pendant, and a glass-recycling furnace, originally interpreted as a bead workshop. This article re-assesses the evidence of bead making in light of new data obtained thanks to recent progress in archaeological glass studies. A detailed study of the typology, technology, and chemical composition of the beads clearly excludes local production. Instead, two different forming techniques, four different base glasses (Roman, HIMT, Foy 2.1 and Foy 2.1/HIMT), and numerous colouring and opacifying materials point to a well-established and extensive network of the Roman bead trade, in which Aiano evidently participated. The majority of the beads can be related to the monumentalization of the villa in the fourth to fifth century ad and represent a sample of the ornaments worn by its inhabitants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]