The first archaeometric data on polychrome Iron Age glass from sites located in northern Italy

Abstract

A large sample set of transparent and opaque glass artefacts recovered from Etruscan contexts in northern Italy (Bologna and Spina (FE) necropoleis) and dated to a period between the 6th and 4th century BC are analysed in this paper. Samples of highly decorated beads, spindle whorls and vessels of the ‘Mediterranean Group I’ (Alabastron, Oinochoes, Amphoriskos) were selected in order to determine whether these different glass artefacts were produced at the same manufacturing site. While the vessels almost certainly originate from Greece, the beads could derive from a more ancient local production ascertained at the site of Frattesina (Rovigo, Italy) and dated to the Bronze Age. The aims of this study are: (i) to characterise a set of Iron Age glass artefacts, thus providing new quantitative chemical data; and (ii) to identify possible differences between finds recovered from different localities and between glass vessels and beads, in order to establish whether different manufactures were active contemporaneously. The chemical analyses of major and minor elements were performed with an electron microprobe. The nature of the opacifying and colouring agents was determined by X-ray diffraction. The sample set is relatively homogeneous and most of the samples can be classified as low magnesium glass. The yellow opaque decorations are rich in Pb and Sb, while only Sb is present in the white and light blue samples. The XRD analyses confirmed the presence of lead antimonates in the yellow decorations and of calcium antimonates in the white and light blue decorations.