Glass import and production in Hispania during the early medieval period: The glass from Ciudad de Vascos (Toledo) (original) (raw)
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Late Roman and early Islamic glass in Spain: production and consumption
ANNALES du 21e CONGRÈS de l’ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONALE pour l’HISTOIRE du VERRE (İstanbul, 03-07 Septembre 2018), 2021
On the basis of the available data, early Roman glass compositions in Hispania fit the general trends observed for other areas of the Roman Empire. As elsewhere, glass assemblages are characterised by the presence of Levantine and Egyptian natron-type glass with variable contents of antimony or/ and manganese 7. During the fourth and fifth centuries, the eastern imports reflect significant changes in the compositional characteristics of the glass finds. While our analytical data are still incomplete for the first half of the fourth century, a clear picture is already emerging for the second half of the fourth and early fifth century CE. Similar to other western Mediterranean regions at this time, glass assemblages are almost exclusively composed of the Egyptian high iron, manganese and titanium (HIMT) glass group first defined by Freestone 8. Of the two subgroups , HIMTa and HIMTb 9 , HIMTa is the main category in fourth-and fifth-century Spain and Portugal. HIMTb dating probably to the beginning of the fifth century has been only detected very sporadically in the Iberian Peninsula, for example, in Braga, Vascos 10 , Baños de la Reina and El Alblir (see Fig. 1). Major transformations of the political and economic systems of the Mediterranean world following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire and the settlement
Minerals
A set of 14 glass fragments and production remains dated to the 16th and 17th centuries was collected during rescue archaeological works conducted in Granada, Spain, and was characterised by µ-PIXE. This preliminary study constitutes the first analytical approach to glass manufacturing remains from a Spanish production dated to the early-modern period. µ-PIXE allowed for the quantification of major, minor and some trace elements of the glass fragments. It also allowed mapping the elemental distribution on the fragments that were identified as an interface of crucible/glass. This analysis constitutes an evaluation of the ionic exchange between glass and crucible. The glass colours vary from the natural green and blue hues to completely colourless samples. The results show that the majority of the glass samples are of soda-lime-silicate composition, and only one proved to be of a potassium-rich composition. From this, one can hypothesise that glass rich in sodium (following the Medite...
Rare Alkali Elements as Markers of Local Glass Working in Medieval Tolmo de Minateda (Spain)
ChemPlusChem, 2022
Analytical data of Roman and early Islamic glass established several primary glass production groups linked to glassmaking centres in the Levant and in Egypt. In contrast, the activities of secondary glass workshops are largely invisible in the compositional fingerprint of first millennium glass. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) of 261 glass finds from the Visigothic settlement of Tolmo de Minateda (Spain) revealed a site-specific contamination pattern due to secondary glass processing and recycling, namely the enrichment of the glass batch by a unique combination of rare alkali elements (Li, K, Rb, Cs). With a median of 21 ppm, Li is particularly distinctive. Elevated lithium contents (Li > 30 ppm) are also one of the characteristic features of Iberian plant ash glass from the Islamic period. The earliest known examples of this type of glass were found among the ninth-century remains from Tolmo.
Changes in the supply of eastern Mediterranean glasses to Visigothic Spain
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2019
This study presents the first comprehensive analysis of glass compositions from Visigothic Spain using high resolution laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Major, minor and trace element patterns of 169 well-dated samples from three rural Iberian sites (Congosto, Gózquez and El Pelícano) have brought to light major chronological developments in the production, circulation and use of glass between the fifth and the eighth century CE. The data identify four distinct compositional groups of Egyptian and Levantine origin. Egyptian Foy 2.1, Foy 2.1 high Fe and so-called Magby alongside Apollonia-type Levantine I were the main glass types of the Visigothic period. Due to the tight dating of the majority of the samples, we were able to reveal fundamental changes in the geographical scope of glass supplies to the Iberian Peninsula, and to refine the chronological range of the known primary production groups. The glass group commonly known as série 2.1 or Foy 2.1 started being produced already during the second half of the fifth century. The appearance of Foy 2.1 high Fe can likewise be moved forward to the first half of the sixth century. A plant-ash group referred to as Magby was introduced around the middle of the sixth century. Egypt was undeniably the main supplier of raw glasses to the Iberian Peninsula up to the mid-sixth century CE, after which the Levantine I group became the prime glass type among the analysed assemblages. In the final stages of the Visigothic Kingdom and the early years of Islamic dominion, there is a noticeable drop in the absolute quantity of glass available, together with an increase in recycling. The implications of these transformations in the supply of glass for the organisation of Mediterranean trade are discussed.
Evidence of glass bead-making in the early Islamic Iberian Peninsula
Archaeometry, 2024
Glass beads from two Islamic archaeological sites in the Tagus valley in central Spain were selected and analysed by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), and a subset of samples (n = 6) was analysed for Pb isotopes by multicollector thermal ionization mass spectrometry (MC-TIMS). The analytical and isotopic data of the beads from Ciudad de Vascos (Toledo) and Albalat (C aceres) demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt that glass beads were produced in the Iberian Peninsula during the Islamic period using local Pb-silica and sodarich plant-ash glass. The bead workshops in al-Andalus were evidently part of an efficient system of glass collection and recycling, and used only relatively simple bead-making techniques such as winding and folding. At present it is unclear to what extent the Islamic beadmakers in the Iberian Peninsula were involved in the international trade in glass beads or whether their products were mainly destined for a regional market. Despite local production, some samples show compositional and typological features that suggest the import of finished glass beads, perhaps from Central Asia.
Ex novo development of lead glassmaking in early Umayyad Spain
PNAS, 2020
This study investigates glass finds from the Iberian Peninsula as a proxy for identifying the mechanisms underlying technological transformations and innovation in the wake of the Arab conquest in the seventh and eighth centuries CE. High-resolution laser abla-tion inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry data combined with lead isotope analyses of a precisely dated (mid-eighth century to 818 CE) glass assemblage from the Rabad ofŠaqunda in Cordoba, capital of Umayyad Spain, enabled us to trace the origins of an Iberian glassmaking industry and to unambiguously link it to the exploitation of local raw materials. The analytical data reveal increased recycling, some isolated imports of Islamic plant ash glasses from Mesopotamia, and, most notably, the development of a new type of glassmaking technology that resorted to the use of lead slag from silver and lead mining and processing in the region around Cordoba. The production of this type of lead glass fromŠaqunda was short-lived and was subsequently refined by introducing additional fluxing agents. The technological innovation of Islamic glass-making in Spain evidently drew inspiration from adjacent high-temperature technologies. The revival of glass and the development of a local glassmaking tradition was indirectly related to the wider processes of Islamization, such as the introduction of glazed ceramics that are compositionally related to the lead glasses from Saqunda. lead glass | lead isotopes | technological innovation | recycling
The glass from the arrabal of Arrixaca (Murcia, 12th-13th centuries
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2024
This article presents an assemblage of 36 glass samples excavated in the urban site of San Esteban, part of the arrabal of Arrixaca (Murcia) (in al-Andalus, an arrabal was a relatively dense urbanised area outside the city walls) in contexts securely dated to the 12th and early 13th century, spanning the rule of Ibn Mardanīš, and the early period of Almohad domination in the city. The samples were analysed by electron microprobe (EMPA) for major and minor elements and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) for trace elements. The results are examined within the context of glass production, circulation, and consumption in al-Andalus and the Islamicate Mediterranean more broadly. The results show that some of the glasses found in San Esteban-Arrixaca may have been imported from other Islamicate regions (Egypt and Mesopotamia), but that the vast majority can be related to previously recognised compositional Iberian glass groups. At the same time, the identification of several fragments of production waste and raw glass suggest that some glass-working facility may have existed in the vicinity of San Esteban-Arrixaca. The compositional evidence also indicates that recycling (including of imported glass objects) may have been a fairly common practice in Andalusi glassmaking, but it is suggested that some of the usual chemical markers of recycling may, in the case of al-Andalus and perhaps also elsewhere in the medieval Mediterranean, be the result of the cross-breeding of glass-and glaze-making activities.
Islamic soda-ash glasses in the Christian kingdoms of Asturias and León (Spain)
Journal of Archaeological Sciences: Reports, 2018
The castle of Gauzón on the north coast of Spain controlled access to the Avilés estuary and was intimately linked to the Asturian monarchy. With the intention of studying the medieval glass trade networks in the kingdom of Asturias and León, the chemical composition of twenty-four glass samples from recent excavations at the castle were determined by LA-ICP-MS. The analytical results identified two distinct types of soda-rich plant ash glasses, one from the eastern Mediterranean, and the other from Mesopotamia. Similarly, most of the decorations correspond to luxury Islamic relief-cut glasses that are known from the eastern Mediterranean and Mesopotamia. The decorative features and compositional characteristics of the glass samples from Gauzón thus reveal close commercial links between the Christian kingdoms of Asturias and León on the Atlantic coast and the Islamic world, with al-Andalus, Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean Levant.
2014
A total 103 fragments of Roman glass tableware are studied, unearthed at 7 archaeological sites in the Northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, to establish both similarities and differences in their chemical composition. ICP Mass Spectrometry is used to characterize the chemical composition of: (i) major elements, so as to determine the type of glass; (ii) minor elements, added to improve the properties of the glass; and, (iii) trace elements, as indicators of the base raw material of the glass. Multivariate statistical studies are also used to establish links and significant differences between glass samples, shedding further light on knowledge of Roman glass manufacturing techniques in the Northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Three main conclusions were achieved. (i) There are significant chemical differences between samples from Braga (Bracara Augusta, Portugal) and the other samples. (ii) These other samples may be sorted into three major groups according to their chemical constituents. (iii) Finally, the statistical analysis and the chemical composition of several glass fragments suggest they were found at some distance from their place of manufacture, requiring the reclassification of their archaeological site of prove-nance.