THE COMPOSITION AND MANUFACTURE OF EARLY MEDIEVAL COLOURED WINDOW GLASS FROM SION (VALAIS,SWITZERLAND)—A ROMAN GLASS‐MAKING TRADITION OR INNOVATIVE CRAFTSMANSHIP?*

Archaeological excavations between 1984 and 2001 at the early Christian cemetery church in Sion, Sous‐le‐Scex (Rhône Valley, Switzerland), brought to light more than 400 pieces of coloured window glass dating from the fifth or sixth centuries ad . The aims of this paper are threefold: first, to characterize the shape, colour and chemical composition of the glass; secondly, to understand whether the production of the coloured window panes followed traditional Roman glazing techniques or was of a more innovative nature; and, thirdly, to provide some indications as to the overall design of these early ornamental glass windows. Forty samples of coloured glass have been analysed by wavelength‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence. The results of the chemical and the technological studies showed that most of the glass was produced using recycled glass, particularly as a colouring agent. Some of the glass was made of essentially unmodified glass of the Levantine I type. The results taken together seem to confirm that raw glass from this region was widely traded and used between the fourth and seventh centuries ad . The artisans at Sion were apparently still making use of the highly developed techniques of Roman glass production. The colour spectrum, manufacture and design of the windows, however, suggest that they represent early examples of ornamental coloured glass windows.     

Ultramicroscopic investigation of the preservation status of hair collected from a full‐term,intrauterine baby mummy of the Joseon Dynasty,Korea

Our previous studies on the ultramicroscopic structure of mummy hair from Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910) tombs sealed with a lime‐soil mixture barrier (LSMB) have provided initial, basic information on their preservation status. Numerous additional cases of various conditions are required in order to provide data sufficient for establishing Korean mummy preservation patterns on a firm basis, however, and so we performed electron microscopic studies on hair taken from a full‐term, intrauterine baby mummy found in Paju, Korea. The baby mummy was found within the uterus of a 16th‐century mummified woman aged 20–30 years old. Since the labour and delivery stage for this case was 2, and the uterus was found to be ruptured, the cause of death of both the mother and the baby was likely to have been hypovolemic shock occurring during labour. In scanning electron microscopic (SEM) and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) studies, we found that the surface of the hair of the baby mummy was coated with crystalline substances, mainly on the side facing the vaginal orifice. We also observed well‐preserved cuticle, cortex and medullar layers, completely preserved cuticle‐layer scales, as well as macrofibrils and melanin granules evenly spread within the cuticle and cortex layers. Because studies on infant or subadult mummies are very few, and since they have focused mainly on the palaeopathological aspects of those mummies, the preservation pattern of the hair of a full‐term baby mummy could contribute significantly to our knowledge of mummies from around the world. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Strontium Isotopes in the Investigation of Early Glass Production: Byzantine and Early Islamic Glass from the Near East*

⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios have been determined for glasses from four production sites, dated to between the sixth and the 11th centuries, in the Eastern Mediterranean region. On the basis of elemental analyses, the glasses at each location are believed to have been melted from different raw materials. Two glass groups, from Bet Eli‘ezer and Bet She‘an, in Israel, are believed to have been based upon mixtures of Levantine coastal sands and natron, and have ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios close to 0.7090, plus high elemental strontium, confirming a high concentration of modern marine shell (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ~ 0.7092) in the raw materials. The isotopic compositions of these two groups of glasses differ slightly, however, probably reflecting a varying ratio of limestone to shell because the sands that were utilized were from different coastal locations. Natron‐based glasses from a workshop at Tel el Ashmunein, Middle Egypt, have ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values of 0.70794–0.70798, and low elemental strontium, consistent with the use of limestone or limestone‐rich sand in the batch. High‐magnesia glasses based on plant ash, from Banias, Israel, have ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values of 0.70772–0.70780, probably reflecting the isotopic composition of the soils that were parental to the plants that were ashed to make the glass. Strontium and its isotopes offer an approach to identifying both the raw materials and the origins of ancient glasses, and are a potentially powerful tool in their interpretation.     

A scientific study of Choson white ware: early porcelain from a royal kiln at Kwangju Usanni

Scientific study of kiln site no. 9 at Usanni, one of the earliest royal Kwangju kiln complexes in operation (from the early 15th to the early 16th century), shows that the technological expertise used to produce white ware was inherited from the celadon technology of the Koryo dynasty. The body material, of low Al₂O₃ and high SiO₂ content, is based on porcelain stone. Such a material, with almost no titanium and a low level of iron, was a rediscovery of the white ware material used earlier at the Sori kiln from the 9th century through to the 11th century. Ash continued to be one of the major ingredients of the glaze, and wares were fired in much the same way as the Koryo celadon, in kilns constructed of mud and rocks and in two steps. The Confucian philosophy and aesthetic of frugality and simplicity adopted from the Ming dynasty onwards by the new government acted as the catalyst for the successful ascent of the new technology.     

A New Methodology for the Provenance of Marble Based on EPR Spectroscopy

Fifteen years of research in investigating the characteristics of the EPR spectra of different types of white marble from several quarries in the Eastern Mediterranean has produced an accumulation of a large number of data, and much experience. Statistical treatment of these EPR data (statistical distributions and parameter correlations), has led to the selection of 10 parameters that are useful for quarry discrimination. Apart from the EPR parameters, the maximum grain size, measured with a stereomicroscope, has been found very useful. Boxplots have been found to be very useful as a first easy visual tool for evaluating the discrimination capacity of each parameter. On the basis of these results, a new methodology for determining the provenance of an archaeological sample was developed in stages, using a different pair or combination of parameters each time. In the first stage, the Penteli, Naxos, Hymettus and Proconnessus quarries are completely separated from each other. However, overlapping occurs between the parameter fields of Paros and Proconnessus, Paros and Hymettus and between the two archaic quarries of Melanes and Apollon on Naxos. If the sample is located in a non‐overlapping area, its provenance is obvious and easily determined. If the sample lies in one of the above three overlapping areas, an additional stage is necessary, in which other parameters are used to eliminate or decrease the overlap. Despite the partial overlapping of Paros with other quarries, the famous Lychnites marble of Paros, which was quarried underground, is clearly distinguished.     

EVALUATION OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL LAYERS AIDED BY SPECTROMETRY AND ROBOTICS*

All archaeologists have faced the problem of interpreting stratigraphy. While this task can sometimes be very clear and unambiguous, this is far from always being the case. Because human beings are limited in their appreciation of soil by subjectivity and by the ability of their senses, it can be useful to turn to technology for help. Here, we present our research on the characterization of archaeological soils by spectrometric analyses, and we demonstrate the perspectives offered by robotics to excavate in fieldwork and to record the stiffness of the earth.     

Variability in cementum deposition in springbok from the South African Cape

Over the past two decades, cementum increment analysis has played an important role in determining the season of death of ungulates at archaeological sites in many parts of the world, but its potential to address questions of seasonality in South African prehistory has remained largely unexplored. The ability to determine the seasonality of hunting practices would prove an important asset to understanding the foraging strategies and mobility patterns of Middle and Later Stone Age people in this region. A sample of springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) of known date-of-death was collected from the South African Cape, a region across which three different rainfall regimes are represented. This study documents a very general correspondence between rainfall patterns and cementum development in springbok but also a level of variability that exceeds that observed by studies in other regions. In two sub-samples in which the sex of all individuals is known, cementum deposition among females is more strongly correlated with season of death than it is among males. This difference may reflect the social organization of springbok. The findings for springbok highlight the complexity of applying cementum increment analysis to archaeological studies not only on the Cape but also in regions of similar climatic variability.     

A pre‐Columbian case of congenital syphilis from Anatolia (Nicaea, 13th century AD)

In this study, the skeleton of an approximately 15‐year‐old child, dating back to the Late Byzantine period (13th century AD) is examined with the aim of determining where this specimen fits in the continuing arguments on the origins of syphilis. It was unearthed during an excavation at an amphitheatre in Nicaea dating to the Roman period. The Nicaea specimen displays common symptoms found in the majority of people with congenital syphilis such as Hutchinson's incisor, mulberry molar, darkened enamel, radial scar on frontal bone, sabre tibia, syphilitic dactylitis, and gummatous and non‐gummatous osteomyelitis on almost every post‐cranial bone. Because of the sub‐periosteal new bone formation, the medullary spaces in some long bones are narrowed or completely obliterated. These lesions, which were observed via macroscopic and radiological examination, reflect the late stages of congenital syphilis. The specimen, when examined together with increasing numbers of other finds from the Old World, contributes to the argument that venereal syphilis did exist in the Old World before 1493, and brings forward the need to revise the Columbian hypothesis, which maintains that syphilis is a new disease carried to the Old World from the New World by Columbus' crew. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Identification of PbO (BaO) faience from an early and middle Warring States period cemetery at Zhaitouhe,northern Shaanxi,China

Low‐temperature vitreous materials fluxed with lead (and barium) appeared in the early Warring States period (c.fifth century bce ) in ancient China. A range of lead vitreous products fluxed with the same agent, including faience/glass beads, glazed pottery and Chinese blue (purple) pigment, were developed subsequently. This study carries out scientific analysis of six vitreous beads unearthed from the Zhaitouhe cemetery site in northern Shaanxi dating to the early and middle Warring States period to investigate their chemical composition, microstructure and coloration. The lead (and barium) vitreous beads identified here are some of the earliest lead vitreous materials discovered in China so far, and therefore important for the study of the development of lead vitreous technologies in ancient China. This paper also points out that it is meaningful to evaluate the lead glass, glazed pottery and barium copper silicate pigments as a whole technological assemblage given their close relationships.