Chemical analyses and production technology of archaeological glass from Athienou-Malloura, Cyprus

Abstract

Ancient glasses (between ca. 480 BCE and 647 CE), from the archaeological site of Athienou-Malloura near the modern village of Athienou in central Cyprus, was analyzed using a multi-analytical approach, contributing to scientific scholarship of pre-Late Antique Cypriot glass composition and production technology and to ancient glass chemistry of the Mediterranean region and the broader Middle East. Glass microsamples were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA) for the characterization of the major and minor elements, and by quadrupole-laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (q-LA-ICP-MS) for quantification of trace elements and rare earth elements (REEs). Results indicated a soda-lime-silicate glass, characteristic of the Mediterranean natron glass used from the middle of the first millennium BC to the ninth century AD. Most glass fragments studied were de-colorized through the intentional addition of antimony and/or manganese-containing minerals, a practice commonly applied and documented during the Roman period. Trace elements analysis suggested at least two different sources of sands and minor mixing or recycling. Comparison with published chemical analyses on Cypriot Early Byzantine glass from coastal regions suggested similar sources of raw materials used in glass making from the Cypro-Classical to the Roman period, which points to a possible continuity in glass supply to Cyprus from the same primary production centers in the ancient Levantine coast.