HISTORY OF GLASS-MAKING FROM ANCIENT TIMES TO THE LATE 1st - EARLY 2nd MILLENNIUM AD: DISCOVERIES, METHODS AND RESEARCH RESULTS PART 1. LATE BRONZE AGE

Статья представляет собой обзор итогов ведущих мировых исследований 1990-2010-х гг. в области древнего стеклоделия эпохи поздней бронзы на территории Месопотамии, Египта, Греции и Малой Азии. Особое внимание уделено новым методам и подходам к изучению древнего стеклоделия (исследование концентраций следовых элементов и изотопного состава стекла), позволившим ставить и решать новые задачи при определении происхождения стекла. Согласно их итогам, стеклоделие уже на раннем этапе существования являлось многоэтапным процессом, в котором варка стекла и изготовление из него изделий были двумя специализированными видами ремесла. Для рассмотренного периода существование стекловаренных центров однозначно подтверждается для Египта и Месопотамии, причем в последнем случае ведущую роль в их выделении играют итоги лабораторных исследований, археологическими методами они не фиксируются. Мастерские микенской Греции и Малой Азии работали на привозных полуфабрикатах их Египта и Месопотамии. Выявлены признаки, позволяющие различать стекло, сваренное в Египте и различных центрах Месопотамии. The paper provides an overview of key world studies conducted in the 1990s-2010s on ancient glass-making in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Asia Minor during the Late Bronze Age. It focuses on new methods and approaches to the studies of ancient glass-making (examination of the concentration of trace elements and the isotopic composition of glass) that offered an opportunity to raise and address new tasks in determining glass provenance. The results of the studies show that, from the very early stage, glass-making was a multi-stage process where melting glass and making glass items were two specialized crafts. For the studied period existence of glass-making centers is reliably established for Egypt and Mesopotamia, in the latter case laboratory studies are of great importance as archaeological methods have not revealed any centers. Glass-making workshops in Mycenaean Greece and Asia Minor used imported raw glass from Egypt and Mesopotamia. Features that can distinguish between the production of Egyptian and Mesopotamian glassmaking centres were singled out.

Compositional Variation and Color Diversity of Glass Beads from a 4th Century Tomb Complex in Korea

This study investigated the chemical compositions and color diversity of various colored glass beads excavated from the 4th century Suchonri site in Korea. The results reveal that the compositions of the coloring materials and stabilizers contain black or white impurities, and there are clear boundaries in the weathered surfaces within the glass beads. The weathered side turned brown, the amounts of Na and K are greater, and there is a decrease in alkali elements. The fragments in blue-green beads from tomb No. 11 were identified as potash glass, whereas the rest of the samples were soda glass. Analysis of the coloration elements identified Fe and Cu in all glass beads, and it was estimated that both elements resulted in a green color. Fe was predicted to cause a brown color. The results of the study may be used not only for scientific interpretation of the relics from the Suchonri tomb complex but also as archaeological evidence that may contribute to the material characterization of the ancient glass from the Korean peninsula.

Chemical analysis and computed tomography of metallic inclusions in Roman glass to unveil ancient coloring methods

This paper describes the analysis of two near-spherical metallic inclusions partially incorporated within two Roman raw glass slags in order to elucidate the process that induced their formation and to determine whether their presence was related to ancient glass colouring processes. The theory of metallic scraps or powder being used in Roman times for glass-making and colouring purposes is widely accepted by the archaeological scientific community, although the assumption has been mainly based on oral traditions and documented medieval practices of glass processing. The analysis of the two inclusions, carried out by X-ray computed tomography, electrochemical analyses, and scanning electron microscopy, revealed their material composition, corrosion and internal structure. Results indicate that the two metallic bodies originated when, during the melting phase of glass, metal scraps were added to colour the material: the colloidal metal–glass system reached then a supersaturation condition and the latter ultimately induced metal expulsion and agglomeration. According to the authors’ knowledge, these two inclusions represent the first documented and studied finds directly associated with the ancient practise of adding metallic agents to colour glass, and their analysis provides clear insights into the use of metallic waste in the glass colouring process.