Abstract
Compositional and structural characterization was carried out on transparent glass fragments found in a brick rubbish pit discovered in basal floor of the ducal palace of Ferrara, during the excavation of Piazza Municipale. This study aims to identify raw materials and glass-working techniques through X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) quantitative chemical analyses and semi-quantitative Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) observations. The studied fragments were produced using siliceous-lime sands with natron as flux, and allowed us to better understand the production technologies in a historical period of great innovation for European glass art. The numerous findings of glass fragments discovered in brick underground cellars built for the specific purpose of household rubbish of wealthy complexes in Ferrara testify a consolidated system of separate discharge of solid waste into underground containers, which were closed and sealed once filled. The high volume of the finds indicates the absence of recycling of accumulated materials due to the well-being of the city. Compositional analysis confirmed the local production of glass shops in Ferrara during the late Middle Ages, characterized by differences with the glasses of the nearby city of Venice. Morphological analyses also defined the nature and relative abundance of the products, exploring the types and compositions of the Ferrara glass art.
Highlights
In the Medieval-Renaissance period, the city of Ferrara was located at the end of the navigablePo river, a safe and fast waterway compared to land routes
The samples of glass fragments were classified according to the reconstruction design of the possible original objects proposed by the Superintendence, as shown in Figure 3a–c, on the basis of the shape of the fragments estimated for each object
(the glass had a good quality and a height between 7.5 and 9 cm); truncated cone glass with rounded rim and/orHeritage stapled; truncated cone glass flared with decorated surfaces
Summary
In the Medieval-Renaissance period, the city of Ferrara was located at the end of the navigablePo river, a safe and fast waterway compared to land routes. Different archaeological excavations in medieval Renaissance sites in the urban center of the city of Ferrara have discovered significant quantities and types of fragments of glass and ceramics as evidence of the flourishing glass activity of the period [4,5,6,7,8,9]. Glass is made by heating a mixture of materials such as sand or soda and lime at a high temperature to form a liquid When this liquid is taken from the furnace, it stiffens rapidly as it cools. Glass has been extensively used, thanks to its unique mechanical and chemical-physical properties, from ancient until modern times It is frequently discovered during archaeological excavations. Scientific studies on glass produced in the second half of the first millennium AD mostly concern fragments from northern Europe [10,11], whereas more limited attention has been paid to glass produced in
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