The Archaeometry and Archaeology of Ancient Chinese Glass: a Review |
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| Authors: | J. Henderson J. An H. Ma |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Classics and Archaeology, School of Humanities, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK and University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo, China;2. Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China;3. Institute for Cultural Heritage and History of Science & Technology, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, China |
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| Abstract: | This paper provides a new review of archaeometric research carried out on glass found in China, set in an archaeological context, from its earliest occurrence to the Song dynasty. It is set within a broad geographical context taking the terrestrial and maritime Silk Road contacts into account. We discuss chemical and isotopic compositional contrasts in glasses from different periods found in different parts of China, the glasses that were almost certainly made in China and those that were imported. A theme that runs through the paper is the problem of provenancing glass found in China, along with a lack of evidence for primary glass‐making sites and minimal evidence for secondary glass production. We discuss the glass artefacts that are of typical Chinese types and contrast these with imports; the structure reflects this contrast. We discuss potential new scientific and archaeological approaches to Chinese glass. |
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| Keywords: | glass Silk Road lead– barium potassium glass plant‐ash glass Roman Sasanian |
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