Indo-Pacific glass beads from the Indian subcontinent in Early Merovingian graves (5th–6th century AD)

Pion, Constantin; Gratuze, Bernard

doi:10.1016/j.ara.2016.02.005

Cited by 34 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…2: E45909). Red and green beads made of similar glass composition, called soda plant‐ash glasses with moderate contents of K 2 O and MgO, were discovered in Early Merovingian graves in Europe (fifth–sixth century) (Pion and Gratuze , Group 2). Also, variation of natron glass, Group 1b characterized by higher contents of MgO and P 2 O 5 , was identified for most amber‐coloured glasses of beads found in Merovingian graves (Pion and Gratuze , tab.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Aside from Southeast Asian finds, the presence of South Indian/Sri Lankan glass beads has also been confirmed through analysis at the Early Roman Red Sea port at Quseir, Egypt (Then‐Obłuska and Dussubieux ), in Europe during the Early Byzantine period (Poulain et al . ; Pion and Gratuze ), and on Zanzibar in the seventh to tenth centuries ad (Wood et al . ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Glass beads and pendants from Meroitic and Nobadian Lower Nubia, Sudan: Chemical compositional analysis using laser ablation‐inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry

Then-Obłuska

Wagner

2019

Archaeometry

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This paper presents a detailed elemental analysis of 64 glass beads and pendants dated to the Meroitic period (first-third centuries AD) and the Nobadian period (fourth-sixth centuries) from burial sites in the Lower Nubian Nile Valley region. Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was used to determine the chemical composition of the glass and to gain knowledge about its origin. Four main glass types were identified: low-alumina soda-lime glass, high-alumina glass, plant-ash soda-lime glass, and mixedalkali glass. Mineral soda-lime glass (m-Na-Ca) of East Mediterranean/Egyptian provenance is dominant within the low-alumina glass group from Meroitic and Nobadian periods. Mineral soda high-alumina glass (m-Na-Al) appeared in the Nobadian bead assemblages, and the m-Na-Al 1 subtype was produced in Sri Lanka/South India. An initial insight into the origin of the glass beads in Nubia from the first to sixth centuries is described, indicating the first evidence for the presence of Asian objects in Nubia. The data obtained for the bead trade in North-east Africa in this study has allowed a new light to be shed on the westward flow of Asian glass during a time of intensive maritime trade contacts with the wider Indian Ocean world.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Glass beads and pendants from Meroitic and Nobadian Lower Nubia, Sudan: Chemical compositional analysis using laser ablation‐inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry

Then-Obłuska

Wagner

2019

Archaeometry

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“…The multidisciplinary study of glass beads in early medieval contexts has proved particularly fruitful to elucidate commercial and cultural networks (Pion 2014; Pion and Gratuze 2016; Koleini et al 2016; Wood 2012; Dussubieux et al 2008; Dussubieux and Soedewo 2016). It has been shown that the chemical signature of glass beads is linked to their morphology and technology, which in turn are connected to geo-cultural traditions (Pion and Gratuze 2016). In early medieval Europe, for example, only wound beads, manufactured by rotating molten glass around a mandrel (metal rod), were produced.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…III, b; Kanungo 2004). According to this manufacturing technique, beads are produced by drawing the glass using a tapered iron tube with a large end, the so-called lada, into glass cylinders that are then cold-cut into beads (Francis 2002; Pion and Gratuze 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The trade of glass beads in early medieval Illyricum: towards an Islamic monopoly

Neri

Gratuze

Schibille

2018

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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The trade of glass beads has long been assumed to have been under Islamic dominance during the early centuries following the Arab conquest of the Middle East, judged by the prevalence of Islamic beads in the archaeological contexts from Viking Scandinavia to medieval Morocco. This paper explores the impact of the Byzantine-Slavic transition on the use and by extension trade of glass beads in the Balkans from the seventh to the ninth century CE. A series of 48 glass beads and 4 vessel fragments from two excavated sites in modern day Albania have been analysed morphologically, technologically and chemically by LA-ICP-MS. The seventh-century beads from Lezha have typological parallels among central European assemblages and are made from recycled natron-type glass. The presence of a high lead-iron-natron variant is of particular interest as it potentially reflects a regional production. The ninth-century beads from Komani are made from soda-rich plant ash glass from the eastern Mediterranean and Mesopotamia and correspond to an Islamic typology. The chronological and geographical differences are reflected in the distinctive cobalt sources used for the two groups. While the beads from Lezha are coloured with a cobalt not correlated with any particular element, the cobalt source of the Komani samples is associated with zinc, typical of Islamic glass making. It thus appears that the supply of beads during the seventh century when the Balkans were under Slavic occupation relied on regional production and recycled material, and that a long-distance trade with the eastern Mediterranean was revived following the Byzantine re-conquest of the south-eastern Adriatic in the ninth century. Intriguingly, the Albanian finds confirm the Islamic control of the production and trade of glass beads during this period and highlight the mediatory role of the Byzantine Empire.

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“…High alumina soda glasses are generally not found frequently, but they are recognized in assemblages such as 2 nd /1 st century BC-5 th century AD glass beads from Sri Lanka and South India (Dussubieux, Gratuze, & Blet-Lemarquand, 2010, tab. 4;Dussubieux & Gratuze, 2013;Carter, 2016) which were present in Early Roman Quseir, Egypt (Then-Obłuska & Dussubieux, 2016) and during Early Byzantine period in Europe (Poulain, Scuiller, & Gratuze, 2013;Pion & Gratuze 2016); 4 th -6 th century AD glass beads from upper Nubia in Africa (Then-Obłuska, Wagner, & Kepa-Linowska, 2019); 7 th -8 th century AD Asian glass beads imported to Scandinavia and north Germany (Sode, Gratuze, & Lankton, 2017); 7 th -10 th century AD in Zanzibar (Wood, Panighello, Orsega, Robertshaw, van Elteren Crowther, Horton, & Boivin, 2017); 8 th -12 th century AD glass bracelets from Ḥiṣn al-Tīnātand in Turkey (Swan, Rehren, Dussubieux, & Eger, 2018). Few red opaque glass beads of Asian production found in Scandinavia and northern Germany (defined as group 4) show the most similarity with USTRA-01 as both calcium and aluminum values are around 10 wt% (Sode et al, 2017, Figure 5).…”

Section: Unaltered Fragmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidencing Human Occupation of a Small Island Through Ancient Glass: The Case of Ustica (Palermo, Italy)

2020

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The subject of this study consists of 17 ancient glass fragments from the island of Ustica (Palermo, Italy) obtained from local museums. All the 17 glass fragments are stratigraphically decontextualized, as they were collected by archaeological surface surveys. Each fragment was analyzed by Electron Micro Probe Analyzer coupled with an Energy Dispersive X-Ray System (EMPA-EDS) and by Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to obtain the composition of major, minor and trace elements. Surface analyses revealed the presence of corrosion layers in most of the glass fragments which was evident also in the chemical data. Nevertheless, reconstruction of the glassmaking processes and the approximate period of production was possible for almost all the glass fragments. Less than half of the examined fragments are attributable to recognizable typologies as unguentaria, beakers, bottles, and vases; all the other small fragments are typologically undetermined. Out of 17 fragments only one fragment is of HLLA composition possibly being produced in 17th–18th century AD, while all the others can be attributed to soda glass with different periods of production: natron glass from Roman and Early Medieval period, plant-ash glass from High or Late Medieval period with the exception of possible Byzantine glass from 6th century AD, and synthetic soda glasses typical of modern era. These data confirm the discontinuous habitation of the island from the Roman period as well as the import of glass objects to the island.

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Indo-Pacific glass beads from the Indian subcontinent in Early Merovingian graves (5th–6th century AD)

Cited by 34 publications

References 11 publications

Glass beads and pendants from Meroitic and Nobadian Lower Nubia, Sudan: Chemical compositional analysis using laser ablation‐inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry

Glass beads and pendants from Meroitic and Nobadian Lower Nubia, Sudan: Chemical compositional analysis using laser ablation‐inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry

The trade of glass beads in early medieval Illyricum: towards an Islamic monopoly

Evidencing Human Occupation of a Small Island Through Ancient Glass: The Case of Ustica (Palermo, Italy)

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