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GLASS: Glass in Late Antiquity: Science and Society

Final Report Summary - GLASS (GLASS: Glass in Late Antiquity: Science and Society)

Objectives
The GLASS (Glass in Late Antiquity: Science and Society) project aimed at filling the gap in our understanding of Egypt’s position in Late Antique glass production and trade in the hope to contribute to a larger discussion concerning economic, cultural, social and historical aspects of past cultures. The main objective has been to elucidate endogenous developments of glass production in Late Antique to Early Islamic Egypt and their relationship to developments elsewhere in the Mediterranean world, by combining the established (e.g. stylistic) with new (chemical analysis, e.g. XRF, EPMA and LA-ICPMS) glass analytical methods and integrate ways of interpreting data.
This was achieved by chrono-typologically studying and chemically analysing several Egyptian glass assemblages (altogether roughly 450 fragments from 20 individual sites were sampled, with an emphasis on the site of Tell Basta/Bubastis, which was chosen to be used as a case study), deriving from current fieldwork projects in Egypt and relevant material held in UK museum collections. The data generated in the course of this project comprise the only available substantial datasets for glass compositions from Roman, Late Antique and Early Islamic sites in Egypt.

Research work
The first year of the project was dedicated to receiving the relevant initial training (at the Wolfson Archaeological Science Laboratories in collaboration with the scientific staff of the Institute of Archaeology, as well as through courses), obtaining the necessary samples (in Egypt (Tell Basta/Bubastis) and the UK collections (British Museum, Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, Ashmolean Museum, Harrow School)), sampling the material and undertaking the chemical analyses, creating a research related database (approximately 2500 glass fragments from Tell Basta/Bubastis were chrono-typologically studied and 150 fragments were subjected to chemical analysis), and mapping the chronological pattern of glass signatures from Bubastis against the wider picture of glass consumption in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The original research proposal suggested to use one specific site in the Nile Delta (Tell Basta/Bubastis) as a case study to illustrate the development of glass production and trade patterns in the Eastern Nile Delta during Late Antique times. However, during the course of the first year possibilities (fieldwork related) opened up that enabled us to include several more sites in Egypt and for the benefit of a more well-balanced picture it was decided to include material from further periods and regions into our research. This included:
-in Egypt: Buto (Roman) and Kom Gir (Roman to Late Antique) with the German Archaeological Institute; Tell Foqaa and Tell Mutubis, both Late Roman to Early Islamic, with the Egypt Exploration Society Delta Survey; Tuna el-Gebel (Roman) with the University of Munich, see list of publications
-in UK collections: Wadi Sarga, Tanis and Naucratis (all British Museum), Armant (Ashmolean Museum), Oxyrhynchus and Sakkara (Petrie Museum)
The second year was thus mainly spent obtaining and processing the additional data and writing up the material. In this phase the researcher has been concentrating on mapping the patterns of distribution and use of different (raw) glass groups through the above mentioned time periods in Lower, Middle and Upper Egypt. The same major glass types that are known from across the Empire occur in Egypt, too. However, a very particular pattern of glass use could be observed, most likely reflecting the changing regional character of the Roman, Byzantine and Early Islamic worlds and supporting a strongly regionalised economy, particularly from the 4th century AD onwards, with multiple glass producers working contemporaneously and serving their particular regional constituents, most likely based on proximity to the primary producer.
The concluding phase of the project has involved both writing up publications as well as dissemination of the research, through attending conferences, organising a 2-day conference on recent glass research held at UCL’s Institute of Archaeology, the Wallace Collection and the British Museum), travels, the organisation of 2 Marie Curie Project Open Days held at UCL’s Institute of Archaeology and the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, and meetings (UCL and external meetings).
GLASS has been a pilot research project, hoping to answer crucial questions about Egypt’s position in Late Antique glass production and trade and pioneering the combination of archaeological approaches with scientific applications. The final results of the projects, as presented in published and forthcoming publications, demonstrate direct impact on three different strands:
Glass production: Evidence for glass production in Roman times is not matched in the chemical composition of any Roman glass objects sampled in the course of this study. This is enigmatic, given the huge amounts of raw glass that have apparently been produced there. A consumer site/region outside of Egypt must be considered, and it is possible that Egypt had been stronger involved into the Indian Ocean trade network than previously assumed. For Late Antiquity (and indeed Early Islamic times) Egypt undoubtedly was one of the main producers of raw glass circulated throughout the whole Mediterranean, with potential production sites on the Sinai (producing the so-called HIMT and weak HIMT glass), the Wadi Natrun (producing the so-called Egypt I glass) and, possibly, Middle Egypt (producing the so-called Egypt II glass
Glass use in Egypt: The same major glass types that are known from across the Empire occur in Egypt, too. However, a very particular pattern of glass use can be observed: while the earliest glass fragments analysed for this study (Late Hellenistic/Early Roman) were made of possibly imported glass, raw glass of almost exclusively Egyptian origin dominates the country’s glass markets from the late first century AD onwards, with barely any evidence for glass of non-Egyptian origin (e.g. Levantine glass). This indicates a strongly regionalised economy, especially for the Byzantine and Early Islamic Empires, with multiple glass producers working contemporaneously and serving their particular regional constituents, most likely based on proximity to the primary producer.
Glass trade from Egypt: During Roman times Egypt mainly exported a glass group considered a luxury glass (colourless), while smaller raw glass groups never reached the Mediterranean glass trade. From the 4th century AD onwards, Egypt exported glass in large quantities to the rest of the Roman and Byzantine Empires. Surprisingly, even Anglo-Saxon, Frankish German and Merovingian glass dating to the 5th and 6th centuries AD, seems to be of Egyptian origin, confirming that fresh raw glass from Egypt was still reaching Europe after the collapse following the departure of the Roman army. The trade patterns for the Early Islamic period have yet to be established.

Impact
The funding of the project has enabled the researcher to complete a high profile cutting-edge research project at UCL, and to move towards the role of a research leader in this interdisciplinary terrain of archaeology and science, and hence consolidate the position of Europe as a leader in this research area.
The researcher has moved from a research environment dedicated to the archaeological study of glass finds to a research group focused on scientific analyses of this material. The mobility has been beneficial for the candidate and the host institution, by creating efficient integration between the archaeological and scientific research on ancient glass.
In addition, the GLASS project has constituted the basis for future collaborations and co-operations across Europe.

Daniela Rosenow, UCL, Institute of Archaeology, 31-34 Gordon Square, London, WC1H 0PY, UK
d.rosenow@ucl.ac.uk; 00447948123917
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/research/directory/glass-technology-network
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/people/staff/honorary/rosenow