AN ARCHAEOMETRIC STUDY OF MEDIEVAL GLASS FROM THE FIRST BULGARIAN CAPITAL,PLISKA (NINTH TO TENTH CENTURY AD)

Glass finds from the first Bulgarian capital, Pliska, have been analysed by instrumental neutron activation analysis. The analytical data, together with previous results from analysis of glass samples from the second Bulgarian capital, Preslav, were subjected to cluster and discriminant analysis. The local origin of part of the analysed samples was proven and some conclusions about the technology of production were possible.     

NEUTRON ACTIVATION ANALYSIS OF AD 1660–1930 EUROPEAN COPPER-COLOURED BLUE GLASS TRADE BEADS FROM ONTARIO,CANADA

Blue glass trade beads from well-dated late seventeenth- to early twentieth-century sites and collections have been analysed non-destructively by instrumental neutron activation analysis. The beads display enough variations in their elemental contents to allow us to characterize the different chemistries. The implication of these results is that similar chemical analyses of blue beads from undated archaeological sites may be used to help date the sites, since each bead chemistry has a specific earliest period.     

ARCHAEOMETRY AT SLOWPOKE‐TORONTO

This paper describes the archaeometric research conducted at the SLOWPOKE Reactor Facility of the University of Toronto (SLOWPOKE‐Toronto) during its existence from 1971 to 1998. The contributions to student teaching and research are described, and the total contribution of the facility to studies of an eclectic assortment of ancient and historic materials is addressed.     

ARCHAEOMETRIC INVESTIGATIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOFIA,BULGARIA

The paper presents a brief overview and history of archaeometric research using instrumental neutron activation analysis at the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Sofia. The archaeometric projects are listed and some of the results obtained in the investigations of glass, pottery and metals are described.     

THE PROVENANCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF NEAR EASTERN GLASS: OXYGEN ISOTOPES BY LASER FLUORINATION AS A COMPLEMENT TO STRONTIUM*

The ability to make rapid measurements on small samples using laser fluorination enhances the potential of oxygen isotopes in the investigation of early inorganic materials and technologies. δ¹⁸O and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values are presented for glass from two primary production sites, four secondary production sites and a consumer site in the Near East, dating from Late Antiquity to the medieval period. δ¹⁸O is in general slightly less effective than ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr in discriminating between sources, as the spread of measured values from a single source is somewhat broader relative to the available range. However, while ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr is derived predominantly from either the lime‐bearing fraction of the glass‐making sand or the plant ash used as a source of alkali, δ¹⁸O derives mainly from the silica. Thus the two measurements can provide complementary information. A comparison of δ¹⁸O for late Roman – Islamic glasses made on the coast of Syria–Palestine with those of previously analysed glasses from Roman Europe suggests that the European glasses are relatively enriched in ¹⁸O. This appears to contradict the view that most Roman glass was made using Levantine sand and possible interpretations are discussed.     

THE ANALYSIS OF SECOND MILLENNIUM GLASS FROM EGYPT AND MESOPOTAMIA,PART 1: NEW WDS ANALYSES*

A recent analytical study by SEM–WDS was carried out on 226 glasses from the Late Bronze Age, analysing each of the glasses for a total of at least 22 elements, the largest such analytical study conducted on these glasses. The aim of the analysis was first to identify which elements were brought in with each of the raw materials and, second, to accurately characterize those raw materials. Since different glassmaking sites in Egypt and the Near East would probably use at least some local raw materials and these raw materials will vary slightly from site to site, this has potential for provenancing the glass. Analysis showed new patterns in the compositions of glass from the various sites and led to new conclusions about the supply of raw materials and personnel for the glass workshops. This forms the basis for further work by LA–ICPMS to be presented in part 2 of this paper.     

THE TRADING OF ANCIENT GLASS BEADS: NEW ANALYTICAL DATA FROM SOUTH ASIAN AND EAST AFRICAN SODA–ALUMINA GLASS BEADS*

The occurrence of similar glass beads at archaeological sites in Africa and Asia bears witness to the trade relationship between the two continents. This paper reports elemental analysis results from a recent in‐depth laser ablation – inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS) study of a group of archaeological glass beads with a specific alumina‐rich composition from East Africa, India and Sri Lanka. Based on the concentrations of the trace elements, two different subgroups were identified. One subgroup occurs at early periods (fourth century bce to fifth century ace ) in South India and Sri Lanka. The second subgroup appears at later dates in Africa and was identified at different Kenyan sites dated from the ninth to the 19th century ace , and at the contemporaneous site of Chaul in western India.     

THE SECTILIA PANELS OF FARAGOLA (ASCOLI SATRIANO,SOUTHERN ITALY): A MULTI‐ANALYTICAL STUDY OF THE RED,ORANGE AND YELLOW GLASS SLABS*

SEM–EDS, EMPA, ICP–MS and ICP–OES were applied to the study of three sectilia panels made of red, orange and yellow glass slabs. In order to determine the chemical state of Cu, XAS was also performed. The results indicate that, with the exception of the red samples, all slabs were made by mixing a siliceous sand with natron. The red slabs show significant compositional differences with respect to K₂O and MgO contents, probably linked to the use of plant ashes as a source of alkali. The red, orange and yellow slabs are coloured by metallic copper, cuprite and Pb antimonates, respectively. The comparison between the chemical composition of the Faragola samples and several glass reference groups did not provide conclusive evidence of provenance.     

X-RAY FLUORESCENCE CHARACTERIZATION OF THE CORONA FERREA*

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyses of metals, glasses and enamels from the Corona Ferrea, or Iron Crown, of Monza are reported. The method followed to obtain quantitative analysis of metal alloys was based on comparison with standards and it is framed on the more general problem of XRF quantitative analysis of irregularly shaped objects with a portable instrument. Preliminary radiocarbon dating results are also reported.     

MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF THE ENERGY DISPERSIVE X-RAY FLUORESCENCE RESULTS FROM BLUE AND WHITE CHINESE PORCELAINS*

The energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence technique was employed to study non-destructively the surface of 66 samples of Chinese porcelain, of different periods and origins, and determine the contents of 13 chemical elements, namely, Ti, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Pb, Rb, Sr, Y and Zr. Principal components analysis was performed on these 13 variables, and scatter plots, incorporating the first, second and third principal components, used to study the clustering behaviour of the data. Based on these results, discriminant analysis was then performed on the data, and discriminant functions established for attributing the period and origin of the porcelains.