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The Significance of Things beyond Materiality. Archaeological Glass and Glazes...
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The Significance of Things beyond Materiality. Archaeological Glass and Glazes as Archives of Knowledge from the Past

A special issue of Heritage (ISSN 2571-9408).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2024) | Viewed by 9704

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Sara Fiorentino

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
Interests: archaeometry; archaeological science; conservation science; archaeological materials; glass
Dr. Tania Chinni

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
Interests: archaeology; glass; medieval glass production; ancient trade and commerce; typological study

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In terms of material culture, glass is a locus of meaning, a material which has been the storehouse of traditional knowledge and technological expertise for at least three millennia. Throughout human history, glassmaking has been a fundamental component of civilizational advancement, and the key role that glass has played in the history of humanity has recently been reaffirmed by the UN General Assembly—which declared 2022 the International Year of Glass.

Over the past few decades, research has allowed for the clarification of production cycles, economic regions and technical aspects underlying the selection of raw materials, as well as the exploration of the political impact on glass trade across time and space. However, the potential that glass and glazes hold to rediscover the flows and exchanges of technological knowledge has been explored marginally in the past. Similarly, issues more closely linked to the relationship between objects and those who made, used and re-used them, as well as to the intangible values and the socio-cultural significance of glass, are still only occasionally addressed for specific productions. 

The purpose of this Special Issue is to investigate the materiality of archaeological glass and glazes in order to uncover the technical and socio-cultural knowledge that underpins their manufacturing, use and re-use through the ages. The emphasis will be on how the study of objects from a material standpoint can support a better understanding of past societies and the ways they used and conceived glass and glazes. This will lead to a more in-depth awareness of all the intangible values beyond objects from our heritage, to be re-thought as archives of knowledge from the past.

Therefore, we invite contributions regarding, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • The integration of archaeological and historical knowledge with data-driven material analysis;
  • The significance of glass in past societies;
  • Archaeology science's assistance in understanding how technical knowledge and know-how flowed in the past;
  • Support for a better understanding of recipes through the use of archival documents and literary sources;
  • The recycling and reuse of glass and glazes thought the ages;
  • Case studies focusing on archaeological glass and glazes;
  • Conservation approaches and challenges.

Dr. Sara Fiorentino
Dr. Tania Chinni
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Heritage is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • material culture
  • archaeological glass and glazes
  • archaeological science
  • archaeometry
  • materials and recipes
  • technical knowledge and know-how
  • tangible and intangible heritage

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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36 pages, 11038 KiB  
Article
Provenance Studies of a Set of Pick-Up Glass Fragments Found in Portugal and Dated to the 17th Century
by Francisca Pulido Valente, Inês Coutinho, Teresa Medici, Bernard Gratuze, Luís C. Alves, Ana Cadena and Márcia Vilarigues
Heritage 2024, 7(9), 5048-5083; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7090239 - 12 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1597
Abstract
One of the most recognized decorations of the pick-up technique is the millefiori glass, which has been commonly attributed to Venetian production. However, Portugal is the country where the largest known assemblage of this type of glass artefact has been studied and published. [...] Read more.
One of the most recognized decorations of the pick-up technique is the millefiori glass, which has been commonly attributed to Venetian production. However, Portugal is the country where the largest known assemblage of this type of glass artefact has been studied and published. In this work, two important archeological contexts were selected: (1) Santa Clara-a-Velha monastery (SCV) and (2) São João de Tarouca monastery (SJT). The fragments selection was made based on the diversity of decorative motifs, colors, and original forms that has been associated with Portuguese production. The compositional characterization was conducted by performing micro-particle-induced X-ray emission (µ-PIXE) mapping, which facilitated the visualization of the distribution of different oxides across the different glass layers and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to obtain the major, minor, and trace elements composition, including rare earth elements (REEs) to determine which kind of raw materials were used. Additionally, µ-Raman spectroscopy was employed to investigate the opacifiers, while UV–Visible spectroscopy was used to study which chromophores are presented in the glass samples. All the analyzed glass layers can be considered to be of a soda–lime–silica type, and four different geological patterns (from GP1 to GP4) were detected and reported. This result can indicate that these objects were made by using silica sources taken from four different geological settings. Interestingly, the GP3 represents about 41% of the analyzed glass fragments and is compatible with the pattern detected in some production wastes found in two different archeological contexts located in Lisbon, which reinforces the veracity of the theory that this GP can be attributed to a Portuguese production. On the other hand, GP1 was probably attributed Granada provenance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Significance of Things beyond Materiality. Archaeological Glass and Glazes as Archives of Knowledge from the Past)
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30 pages, 9803 KiB  
Article
The Glass Mosaic of S. Agnese fuori le mura: New Tesserae in the Puzzle of Early Medieval Rome
by Alberta Silvestri, Sarah Maltoni, Manuela Gianandrea, Rita Deiana and Chiara Croci
Heritage 2024, 7(9), 4562-4591; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7090215 - 23 Aug 2024
Viewed by 795
Abstract
The present study, which is part of a wider inter-disciplinary research project on Medieval Rome funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, focuses on the archaeometric characterisation of glass tesserae from the apse mosaic of the church of S. Agnese fuori le mura [...] Read more.
The present study, which is part of a wider inter-disciplinary research project on Medieval Rome funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, focuses on the archaeometric characterisation of glass tesserae from the apse mosaic of the church of S. Agnese fuori le mura, dated to the 7th century AD and never analysed until now. The main aims of the study are the identification of chemical compositions of glassy matrices and colouring/opacifying techniques by means of the combination of micro-textural, chemical, and mineralogical data. In S. Agnese tesserae, the results show the presence of glassy matrices and opacifiers/pigments, typical of both Roman and Late Antique/Early Medieval periods. The technological features identified (in particular, glassy matrices and opacifiers/pigments) allow us to discriminate not only new-production tesserae, i.e., those probably produced in the 7th century for the realisation of the S. Agnese mosaic, but also those obtained from recycling or re-using previous glass. This testifies to a quite complex “puzzle”, unusual in other glass mosaics from the same city and coeval with S. Agnese, supporting further the potentiality of archaeometric studies on glass to uncover the technical and socio-cultural knowledge that underpins its manufacturing, use, re-use, and recycling in the Early Medieval Rome. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Significance of Things beyond Materiality. Archaeological Glass and Glazes as Archives of Knowledge from the Past)
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15 pages, 11516 KiB  
Article
Investigating the Degradation of Mycenaean Glass Artifacts Using Scientific Methods
by Maria Kaparou, Artemios Oikonomou and Andreas Germanos Karydas
Heritage 2024, 7(3), 1769-1783; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7030083 - 20 Mar 2024
Viewed by 2388
Abstract
Mycenaean vitreous artifacts, such as beads and relief plaques, are highly susceptible to degradation, which can significantly alter their visual characteristics and pose challenges to their taxonomy. The visual manifestation of corrosion on vitreous artifacts, especially glass and faience, has often led to [...] Read more.
Mycenaean vitreous artifacts, such as beads and relief plaques, are highly susceptible to degradation, which can significantly alter their visual characteristics and pose challenges to their taxonomy. The visual manifestation of corrosion on vitreous artifacts, especially glass and faience, has often led to their misclassification, which, in turn, has a significant impact on their interpretation by researchers, often resulting in misleading notions. The present paper constitutes part of an overall study, implemented within the framework of the project, Myc-MVP: Mycenaean Vitreous Production, A Novel Interdisciplinary Approach Towards Resolving Critical Taxonomy Issues, which has employed a combination of established, state-of-the-art scientific methods to analyze and identify the specific compositional changes occurring at different spatial dimensions within surface layers, with the overarching aim of contributing to our understanding of the degradation mechanisms of vitreous artifacts and the relevant implications for the archaeological record. Importantly, these findings will yield useful data in devising strategies for the proper classification, management, and preservation of vitreous artifacts in the future. The present study focuses on investigating the relationship between the compositional changes in a subset of 12 (of the overall 126 objects entailed in the project) corroded vitreous artifacts from Mycenaean contexts in the Aegean and the way these are manifested visually, with the application of X-ray fluorescence and LED microscopy. We aim to decipher the nature of corroded objects with the aid of focused analysis. This study delves into degradation processes in glass artifacts, highlighting preservation variations and environmental influences like burial. Coloration, attributed to copper and cobalt oxide, shows some correlation with preservation quality. These chromophore agents potentially induce thermal stresses and corrosion. The complex interplay between chemical composition, environmental conditions, and preservation status underscores the need for comprehensive research. Analyzing the full artifact set using complementary techniques promises deeper insights for secure material classification and cultural heritage preservation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Significance of Things beyond Materiality. Archaeological Glass and Glazes as Archives of Knowledge from the Past)
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24 pages, 4895 KiB  
Article
The Non-Invasive Characterization of Iron Age Glass Finds from the “Gaetano Chierici” Collection in Reggio Emilia (Italy)
by Oleh Yatsuk, Giacomo Fiocco, Marco Malagodi, Alessandro Re, Alessandro Lo Giudice, Cristiano Iaia and Monica Gulmini
Heritage 2023, 6(7), 5583-5606; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage6070294 - 24 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1965
Abstract
This work reports the results of the analyses performed on a set of glass finds from the “Gaetano Chierici” collection in the Civic Museums of Reggio Emilia. Forty-eight typologically heterogeneous glass finds were included in the list of the analyzed objects, dating from [...] Read more.
This work reports the results of the analyses performed on a set of glass finds from the “Gaetano Chierici” collection in the Civic Museums of Reggio Emilia. Forty-eight typologically heterogeneous glass finds were included in the list of the analyzed objects, dating from the fifth century BCE to the first century CE. The objects primarily consisted of glass beads; however, bangles, pinheads, and one vessel fragment were also included in the set. The items were analyzed using non-invasive spectroscopic methods that were implemented with portable equipment on the museum’s premises. Fiber optic reflectance spectroscopy was used to identify the coloring species in the glass matrix, while X-ray fluorescence spectrometry provided compositional information. Both techniques allowed for a discussion of the mechanisms of coloring and opacification, as well as the raw materials used for this purpose. The results provided a complex picture of the various colorants used to manipulate the appearance of the glass, which was a crucial aspect in the creation of the personal adornments represented by these glass items. The data revealed evidence of different sources of raw glass and colorants. Most of the samples were colored with cobalt, but iron and copper also influenced the color of many of them. Both white and yellow were utilized for the glass decorations, and these colors were achieved with the addition of either antimony-containing crystals or tin-containing ones. This finding suggests that the transition from antimonate to stannate started as early as the second century BCE. The “Gaetano Chierici” collection contains representative objects distributed throughout the investigated period. The results obtained here are a starting point for future studies of glass technology and provenance in the area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Significance of Things beyond Materiality. Archaeological Glass and Glazes as Archives of Knowledge from the Past)
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Review

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9 pages, 260 KiB  
Review
The Persistence of Memory. Exploring the Significance of Glass from Materiality to Intangible Values
by Sara Fiorentino and Tania Chinni
Heritage 2023, 6(6), 4834-4842; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage6060257 - 19 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1598
Abstract
As a material, glass has been linked with knowledge and skill mastery for at least three millennia, reflecting the use of traditional tools and technologies inherited from the past. The history of glass speaks of know-how, technological transitions, and contaminations among preferences and [...] Read more.
As a material, glass has been linked with knowledge and skill mastery for at least three millennia, reflecting the use of traditional tools and technologies inherited from the past. The history of glass speaks of know-how, technological transitions, and contaminations among preferences and raw materials. An increase in the awareness of traditional knowledge underlying the tradition of glass manufacturing has recently been observed with the inscription of the art of Venetian glass beads on the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, which has been recognized as a repository of knowledge and mastery of skills, reflecting the use of traditional tools and technologies inherited from the past. However, the potential that glass holds to rediscover the flows and exchanges of technological knowledge in the past has only been explored marginally, and issues linked to the intangible values and the socio-cultural significance of glass are still only sporadically addressed. This review aims to stimulate reflection on the diversity of the significance underlying glass as a material that has marked the cultural and technological history of man. This study will establish the foundation for a methodological reflection in the approach to the study of ancient glass that is intended to help uncover the intangible values that it is an embodiment for. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Significance of Things beyond Materiality. Archaeological Glass and Glazes as Archives of Knowledge from the Past)
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