A compositional analysis of Roman and early post-Roman glass and glassworking waste from selected British sites. Towards an understanding of the technology of glass-making through analysis by inductively-coupled plasma spectrometry of glass and glass production debris from the Roman/Saxon sites at York, Leicester, Mancetter and Worcester.

摘要

This study is concerned with the compositional analysis of Roman andudearly post-Roman glass from both domestic assemblages and the remains derived fromudglass working and producing sites in Britain, using Inductively Coupled PlasmaudSpectrometry (ICPS).udSamples analysed were from glassworking waste from Mancetter (midsecondudcentury), Leicester (third century) and Worcester (first to third centuries), glassudproduction debris, probably manufactured from the raw materials, in conjuncton with auddomestic assemblage, from Coppergate (first to fourth centuries, or possibly later), anduda domestic assemblage from Fishergate (spanning both the Roman and immediate post-udRoman periods).udAll the glass analysed was shown to be of a typical and uniform soda-limesilicaudcomposition, except for a small number of vessel fragments from York which wereudhigher in calcium. Any compositional differences between blue-green glassesudtypologically dated either to the Roman or Saxon periods, were found not to beudconsistent.udAnalysis of the colourless glass showed that the majority appeared to beudactively decolorized using antimony, in conjunction with apparent differences In theudcompositions of the raw materials, when compared to glass of the same date in otherud0 colours.udCompositional differences between melted waste from Mancetter, Leicesterudand Worcester, were apparent, but not to an extent which allowed characterization to beudsuccessful.udAnalysis of glassmelting pots from Coppergate showed some highudtemperature glassworking (and possibly glassmaking) could have occurred. Other debris,udthought to be indicative of glassmaking was also analysed and compared to theudcomposition of the Roman domestic assemblage.