Study of Glass and Glass-Making Processes at Wadi el-Natrun, Egypt in the Roman Period 30 B.C. to 359 A.D. Part 1. Fritting Crucibles, Their Technical Features and Temperature Employed

Saleh, Saleh Ahmed; George, Adel Wageih; Helmi, Fatma M.

doi:10.2307/1505564

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…Fuel ash slag [2] from glass production normally results from alteration of crucible or kiln material (clay or limestone) through reaction with the glass melt [e.g. 34,35]. The lead isotopic composition of one fuel ash slag analysed (Table 4) shows a radiogenic composition, consistent with signatures found in some marine, basaltic volcanic rocks derived from compositionally specific domains of the Earth's mantle [e.g.…”

Section: Chunk Glass and Production Wastementioning

confidence: 68%

A geochemical study of Roman to early Byzantine Glass from Sagalassos, South-west Turkey

Degryse

Schneider

Poblome

et al. 2005

Journal of Archaeological Science

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Section: Chunk Glass and Production Wastementioning

confidence: 68%

A geochemical study of Roman to early Byzantine Glass from Sagalassos, South-west Turkey

Degryse

Schneider

Poblome

et al. 2005

Journal of Archaeological Science

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“…Despite the substantial archaeological evidence of primary tank furnaces in the Levant and northern Egypt, very few archaeometric studies of primary glassmaking remains based on mineral natron have been published so far, apart from a paper on furnace remains from the Wadi Natrun (Saleh et al 1972) and one on finds of semi-finished glass from Hellenistic Rhodes (Rehren et al 2005). This is to a large extent due to the particularity of glassmaking leaving very little waste, and restricts the discussion very much to the analysis of the finished glass, emphasising the importance of (geo)chemical analyses and their interpretation.…”

Section: Primary Production or Secondary Working?mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Late Antique glass furnaces in the Hambach Forest were working glass - not making it

Brüggler¹

2020

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

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The cluster of Late Antique glass furnaces in the Hambach Forest in the Rhineland, western Germany, has been advocated by K. H. Wedepohl and G. Hartmann in their influential papers as a potential location for primary glassmaking. Here, we re-evaluate and expand the original chemical data and assumptions underpinning this controversial interpretation, and present an alternative explanation for the compositional pattern observed among the glass finds from the site and its wider environment. Glass matching very closely the two main chemical compositions as seen in the Rhineland has recently been reported from numerous 4 th to 5 th century sites in Southern France, Britain, Italy, the Balkans and Egypt, with the same pattern of minor amounts of colorant elements such as copper, tin, lead and antimony, as contamination due to the inclusion of recycled cullet into the batch. The high content in iron and related elements, previously seen as a unique characteristic of the Hambach Forest glass finds, is now recognised as a common feature of these established super-regional compositional glass groups. We identify the majority of analysed finds to consist of HIMT glass, followed by a significant number of série 3.2 glass sensu Foy et al. ( 2003), while only one sample matches glass of the Levantine composition. This sees the furnaces of the Hambach Forest, and the finished vessels excavated in the wider region, fully integrated in the two-tier Late Antique glass industry, where a few eastern Mediterranean mega-producers were supplying their raw glass across the Empire to be re-melted and worked locally into artefacts, including at the cluster of glass furnaces in the Hambach Forest.

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“…The theory of the use of metallic scraps or powder is widely accepted by the archaeological scientific community, although this assumption has been mainly based on oral traditions and documented medieval practice of glass working. This process was carried out in the second stage of glass fusion, when frit blocks of glass, manufactured in so-called primary furnaces, were grounded into chunks, and then re-melted in so-called secondary furnaces 5 . During this second stage, Roman glassmakers used their empirical expertise to select and mix opacifiers, chromophores and modify furnace conditions for tuning the final appearance of glass.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical analysis and computed tomography of metallic inclusions in Roman glass to unveil ancient coloring methods

Turo

Moro

Artesani

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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This paper describes the analysis of two near-spherical metallic inclusions partially incorporated within two Roman raw glass slags in order to elucidate the process that induced their formation and to determine whether their presence was related to ancient glass colouring processes. The theory of metallic scraps or powder being used in Roman times for glass-making and colouring purposes is widely accepted by the archaeological scientific community, although the assumption has been mainly based on oral traditions and documented medieval practices of glass processing. The analysis of the two inclusions, carried out by X-ray computed tomography, electrochemical analyses, and scanning electron microscopy, revealed their material composition, corrosion and internal structure. Results indicate that the two metallic bodies originated when, during the melting phase of glass, metal scraps were added to colour the material: the colloidal metal–glass system reached then a supersaturation condition and the latter ultimately induced metal expulsion and agglomeration. According to the authors’ knowledge, these two inclusions represent the first documented and studied finds directly associated with the ancient practise of adding metallic agents to colour glass, and their analysis provides clear insights into the use of metallic waste in the glass colouring process.

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Study of Glass and Glass-Making Processes at Wadi el-Natrun, Egypt in the Roman Period 30 B.C. to 359 A.D. Part 1. Fritting Crucibles, Their Technical Features and Temperature Employed

Cited by 9 publications

References 0 publications

A geochemical study of Roman to early Byzantine Glass from Sagalassos, South-west Turkey

A geochemical study of Roman to early Byzantine Glass from Sagalassos, South-west Turkey

The Late Antique glass furnaces in the Hambach Forest were working glass - not making it

Chemical analysis and computed tomography of metallic inclusions in Roman glass to unveil ancient coloring methods

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