scholarly journals Early medieval large glass beads from Poland: utilitarian and social functions

2021 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 573-606
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Pankiewicz ◽  
◽  
Sylwia Siemianowska ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Glass Beads ◽  
Important Task ◽  
Political Transformation ◽  
Early Medieval ◽  
Social Functions ◽  
Large Glass ◽  
Context Of Discovery ◽  
Special Category

The study focuses on the early medieval large glass beads from the area of Poland, i.e. specimens whose diameter equals at least 1.5 cm but usually ca. 2 cm or more. The main aim of this study is to define their function, considering precise context of discovery of particular specimens, metric data and microscopic analyses. Another important task of the study is to determine whether large beads were local products or imports, and from which region and in what social circumstances they reached the studied area. Alongside macroscopic and stylistic features, chemical composition of glass that was used for production of the beads can be conclusive in this situation. In our opinion, it is a special category of finds that appeared in this part of Europe during the time of cultural and political transformation in the 11th–13th centuries.

scholarly journals Elitism and Status: Reassessing Settlement Hierarchy in Early Medieval England

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 9-42
Author(s):  
Hana Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Hierarchical Model ◽  
Medieval England ◽  
Rural Settlements ◽  
Early Medieval ◽  
Social Functions ◽  
The Status ◽  
Source Of Information ◽  
Scholarly Attention

The complexities of identifying and understanding settlement hierarchy in early medieval England (c. 5th–11th centuries) is the focus of much debate. Within this field of enquiry, settlement arrangements, architecture, landholding patterns and material culture are commonly used in the identification of a range of settlement types. These include royal complexes, monastic institutions, towns and trading/production sites such as emporia. This same evidence is also used to interpret the status and role of these sites in early medieval England. This paper advances the current understanding of settlement hierarchy through an assessment of rural settlements and their material culture. These settlements have received comparatively less scholarly attention than higher profile early medieval sites such as elite, ecclesiastical and urban centres, yet represent a rich source of information. Through analysis of material culture as evidence for the consumption, economic and social functions which characterise rural settlements, a picture of what were inherently complex communities is presented. The findings further support the need to reassess settlement hierarchy in early medieval England and a new hierarchical model is proposed.  

Middle Bronze Age Long Distance Exchange through Europe and Beyond

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 266-274
Author(s):  
Flemming Kaul
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Glass Beads ◽  
The South ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Blue Glass ◽  
The North ◽  
Southern Scandinavia ◽  
Middle Bronze Age ◽  
The Mediterranean

Abstract The introduction of the folding stool and the single-edged razor into Southern Scandinavia, as well as the testimony of chariot use during the Nordic Bronze Age Period II (1500-1300 BC), give evidence of the transfer of ideas from the Mediterranean to the North. Recent analyses of the chemical composition of blue glass beads from well-dated Danish Bronze Age burials have revealed evidence for the opening of long distance exchange routes around 1400 BC between Egypt, Mesopotamia and South Scandinavia. When including comparative material from glass workshops in Egypt and finds of glass from Mesopotamia, it becomes clear that glass from those distant lands reached Scandinavia. The routes of exchange can be traced through Europe based on finds of amber from the North and glass from the South.

The Iron Age of ‘Loughey’ and Meare: Some Inferences from Glass Analysis

1987 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian Henderson
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Glass Beads ◽  
First Century ◽  
Archaeological Interpretation ◽  
Foreign Origin ◽  
County Down ◽  
Glass Analysis

The archaeology of two Iron Age sites, ‘Loughey’ in County Down, Northern Ireland, and Meare Lake Village, Somerset, is discussed. Changes in the archaeological interpretation of the sites are considered in the light of recent research into Iron Age sites in Britain and Ireland. Consideration of the chemical composition of the glass from ‘Loughey’ and Meare helps to add weight to the existence of suspected links between Ireland and the Continent in the first century B.C., and not, as has regularly been assumed, specific links with south England. The compositional characteristics of the glass from Meare are found to be totally different from those of the ‘Loughey’ glass and it is suggested that glass raw materials were imported to Ireland for the manufacture of Iron Age glass beads there. We can not now be as confident that the person buried at ‘Loughey’ was of ‘foreign’ origin.

scholarly journals GLASS FINDS FROM THE EARLY MEDIEVAL CEMETERIES IN THE MOUNTAINOUS AREAS OF THE NORTH CAUCASUS CENTRAL REGIONS: CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND ORIGIN

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
О.С. Румянцева ◽  
А.А. Кадиева ◽  
С.В. Демиденко ◽  
Д.А. Ханин ◽  
М.В. Червяковская ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Mountainous Areas ◽  
North Caucasus ◽  
Early Medieval ◽  
The North ◽  
Icp Ms ◽  
Central Regions ◽  
Plant Ash ◽  
Different Origin

В статье рассмотрен химический состав серии стеклянных изделий, происходящих из раннесредневековых могильников центральных районов Северного Кавказа (втор. пол. V VIII в.). Стекло проанализировано методами SEM EDS, EPMA, LA ICP MS. Стекло одного из украшений изготовлено на золе растений и происхождением связано с регионом к востоку от Евфрата (возможно, с сасанидским Ираном) остальные стекла содовые и происходят, вероятно, из Восточного и Юго Восточного Средиземноморья. По составу они находят соответствие среди групп, распространенных на территории Римской империи как в синхронное, так и в более раннее время (HIMT, группы Foy 3.2 Foy 4, Левантийская 1, римское зеленоголубое). Некоторые признаки химического состава позволяют говорить о случайном характере сырья, использовавшегося при изготовлении вставок, и/или о разном происхождении самих украшений со вставками. The paper explores the chemical composition of a series of glass items originating from the early medieval cemeteries discovered in the North Caucasus central regions (second half of the 5th 8th centuries). The glass was analyzed by SEM EDS, EPMA, LA ICP MS methods. The glass of one item was made of plant ash glass, originated from a region east of the Euphrates (possibly, Sasanian Iran) other items were made from soda glass and, most likely, came from the Eastern and Southeastern Mediterranean. Their composition is similar to the glass of the groups well known in the Roman Empire during the same period and earlier (HIMT, Foy 3.2 Foy 4, Roman bluegreen, Levantine I groups). Some aspects of the chemical composition suggest that the the accidental choice of the glass used in making inserts and/or about different origin of the items with inserts.

scholarly journals The chemical composition and manufacturing technology of glass beads excavated from the Hetian Bizili site, Xinjiang

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong Wang ◽  
Rui Wen ◽  
Xingjun Hu ◽  
Wenying Li
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
Glass Beads ◽  
Manufacturing Technology ◽  
Chemical Compositions ◽  
Raman Spectrometry ◽  
The West ◽  
Ancient India ◽  
Ancient Times ◽  
Southern Route

Abstract The Hetian Bizili site of the Lop County, located in the southern route of the Silk Road in the Xinjiang, China, was a trade and cultural hub between the East and the West in ancient times. In 2016, a large number of glass beads were unearthed from the 40 tombs excavated in this site. This study analyzed the chemical composition and manufacturing technology of twelve glass beads from the M5 tomb of the Bizili site by using various analytical techniques such as LA-ICP-AES, EDXRF, Raman Spectrometry, and SR-μCT. The chemical compositions of the beads were all Na 2 O-CaO-SiO 2 , with plant ash and natron as fluxes. The lead antimonite and lead stannate were applied as the opacifying agents. Some of the beads with high contents of aluminum may potentially come from Ancient India. In terms of manufacturing technology, the craftsmen made eyeballs of glass beads in different ways, and even applied the same process as Etched Carnelian beads in some beads. This study confirmed that Bizili was an essential place for the interactions between the East and the West and provided the foundation for the spreading of glass beads.

Research Note The Skewed Sex Ratio in a Medieval Population: A Reinterpretation

1986 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-204
Author(s):  
Michael Siegfried
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Social History ◽  
Historical Data ◽  
Ninth Century ◽  
Research Note ◽  
Early Medieval ◽  
Social Functions ◽  
Female Infanticide ◽  
Medieval Population

Recent studies in social history suggest that the practice of female infanticide was widespread in early medieval society. While much of the work on female infanticide is sound, particularly the anthropological studies which observed the practice first hand, the interpretations of historical data are much less certain. In particular, data from the ninth-century French monastic tax rolls known as the Carolingian polyptychs are assumed to reflect female infanticide (Coleman, 1971; 1974; 1976; de Mause, 1974; Guttentag and Secord, 1983). The data recorded on the Polyptychs are biased in a manner reflecting the Church’s teachings and social functions, giving the impression of a skewed sex ratio favoring males in this population. Anthropological studies lead us to doubt that female infanticide was practiced to the extent suggested by the sex ratio on the polyptychs.

scholarly journals The chemical composition and manufacturing technology of glass beads excavated from the Hetian Bizili site, Xinjiang

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong Wang ◽  
Rui Wen ◽  
Xingjun Hu ◽  
Wenying Li
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
Glass Beads ◽  
Manufacturing Technology ◽  
Chemical Compositions ◽  
Raman Spectrometry ◽  
The West ◽  
Ancient India ◽  
Ancient Times ◽  
Southern Route

Abstract The Hetian Bizili site of the Lop County, located in the southern route of the Silk Road in Xinjiang, China, was a trade and cultural hub between the East and the West in ancient times. In 2016, a large number of glass beads were unearthed from the 40 tombs excavated on this site. This study analyzed the chemical composition and manufacturing technology of twelve glass beads from the M5 tomb of the Bizili site by using various analytical techniques such as LA-ICP-AES, EDXRF, Raman Spectrometry, and SR-μCT. The chemical compositions of the beads were all Na 2 O-CaO-SiO 2 , with plant ash and natron as fluxes. The lead antimonite and lead stannate were applied as the opacifying agents. Some of the beads with high contents of aluminum may potentially come from Ancient India. In terms of manufacturing technology, the craftsmen made eyeballs of glass beads in different ways and even applied the same process as Etched Carnelian beads in some beads. This study confirmed that Bizili was an essential place for the interactions between the East and the West and provided the foundation for the spreading of glass beads.

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