The study of material culture is one of the main tools for understanding past societies. However, materials like glass have often been overlooked in historical research due to their limited presence and poor preservation in the archaeological record. Recently, the application of new techniques, protocols, and disciplines to the traditional study of materials in archaeology has demonstrated the importance that glass craftsmanship and related objects had for the economic and social development of populations throughout history.
The GALENE project, titled ‘Glass alchemy and medicine. Evidences of domestic practices in the capital of the Andalusi Caliphate’, aims to explore, for the first time, the significance of glass use in the fields of alchemy and medicine within the domestic sphere of medieval al-Andalus. By integrating various skills and multidisciplinary approaches, the project seeks to gain a deeper understanding of daily life during that period, as well as the knowledge and practices used by the population to care for their health.
To understand the significance of glass in the evolution of certain domestic practices during the medieval period, this project focuses on materials documented in archaeological excavations in Cordoba (Qurtuba), the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate of al-Andalus. In contrast to other sites, the Islamic city was larger than the present-day one, which has resulted in the remarkable preservation of some of its suburbs.
The objectives of the GALENE project are as follows: (a) to define the categories of glassware intended for medical use or associated with personal care within the domestic contexts of the Andalusi Caliphate; (b) to identify the patterns of production and the possible provenance of these artifacts; (c) to trace the origins, development, and historical evolution of such glass vessels and objects; and (d) to determine their users, with special attention to female gender, and the level of expertise needed for medical glass objects. Collectively, these objectives converge towards a final aim: the establishment of an optimal protocol for the multidisciplinary study of archaeological glass, conceived as a methodological tool for investigating past societies and deepening our understanding of present-day social structures.
