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A compositional analysis of Roman and early post-Roman glass and glassworking waste from selected British sites. Towards an understanding of the technology of glass-making through analysis by inductively-coupled plasma spectrometry of glass and glass production debris from the Roman/Saxon sites at York, Leicester, Mancetter and Worcester.

This study is concerned with the compositional analysis of Roman and
early post-Roman glass from both domestic assemblages and the remains derived from
glass working and producing sites in Britain, using Inductively Coupled Plasma
Spectrometry (ICPS).
Samples analysed were from glassworking waste from Mancetter (midsecond
century), Leicester (third century) and Worcester (first to third centuries), glass
production debris, probably manufactured from the raw materials, in conjuncton with a
domestic assemblage, from Coppergate (first to fourth centuries, or possibly later), and
a domestic assemblage from Fishergate (spanning both the Roman and immediate post-
Roman periods).
All the glass analysed was shown to be of a typical and uniform soda-limesilica
composition, except for a small number of vessel fragments from York which were
higher in calcium. Any compositional differences between blue-green glasses
typologically dated either to the Roman or Saxon periods, were found not to be
consistent.
Analysis of the colourless glass showed that the majority appeared to be
actively decolorized using antimony, in conjunction with apparent differences In the
compositions of the raw materials, when compared to glass of the same date in other
0 colours.
Compositional differences between melted waste from Mancetter, Leicester
and Worcester, were apparent, but not to an extent which allowed characterization to be
successful.
Analysis of glassmelting pots from Coppergate showed some high
temperature glassworking (and possibly glassmaking) could have occurred. Other debris,
thought to be indicative of glassmaking was also analysed and compared to the
composition of the Roman domestic assemblage.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:BRADFORD/oai:bradscholars.brad.ac.uk:10454/4396
Date January 1992
CreatorsJackson, Caroline Mary
ContributorsNot named
PublisherUniversity of Bradford, Department of Archaeological Sciences
Source SetsBradford Scholars
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis, doctoral, PhD
Rights<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/3.0/88x31.png" /></a><br />The University of Bradford theses are licenced under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/">Creative Commons Licence</a>.

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