11620
Title Of Article Chaper
Alumina and calcium oxide content of glass found in Western and Northern Europe, first to ninth centuries
Title Of Journal Book
Oxford journal of archaeology
Volume
9
Issue
1
Pages
105-117
ISSN
0262-5253
Language Of Text
English
Language Of Summary
English
Literature Type
Serial
Literature Level
Analytic
Abstract
Gallo-Roman glass and that manufactured during the several centuries after the disintegration of the Roman empire has much the same composition in examples found in northern and western Europe. The components calcium oxide and alumina (CaO and Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) increase or decrease together. Compositional variation between different samples from this geographic area are not much greater than those at a single site of manufacture. Contamination during the manufacturing process is unlikely to account for the CaO and Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> contents in glass from this period according to analyses of glass adhering to crucibles or fusion pots. CaO and Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> were apparently added intentionally to the glass composition. A slight tendency to an increase in these oxides is accompanied by a decrease in Na<sub>2</sub>O content which might be due to a loss through volatilization during reworkings. Such a trend is apparent in the 8th-9th-century samples. The remarkably constant composition of glass found in a wide area for objects produced over a long period of time suggests that a limited number of production sites existed for either the raw materials or the confection of raw glass which was fashioned at various other sites.
Keywords
alumina;calcium oxide;1st-9th centuries;glass;Europe;Roman; manufacturing;production
pub_id
11620