Fluorite used in ancient Chinese glassmaking during the 10th to 12th centuries: Evidence from glass products excavated in the capital city site of the Liao dynasty

Abstract

AbstractThis study conducts a scientific analysis of six pieces of glass artefacts unearthed from Shang‐Jing, the capital city of the Liao dynasty. The test methods include laser ablation inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometry and X‐ray diffraction. In terms of chemical composition, one sample is K2O‐CaO‐SiO2 glass and the other samples belong to the K2O‐CaO‐PbO‐SiO2 system. Fluorite crystals were discovered in some of the samples. Ancient literature and some analysis of other archaeological materials suggest that using fluorite minerals as opacifiers in both of these kinds of glass is a traditional technique in China. Therefore, fluorite minerals are likely to be one of the raw materials in the studied glass artefacts. This study provides new information about the glass‐making recipe from the 10th to 12th centuries in China and further sheds some light on the development of ancient Chinese glass production.