The glass of the “Casa delle Bestie Ferite”: a first systematic archaeometric study on Late Roman vessels from Aquileia

Abstract

Aquileia (Italy) is one of the largest Roman cities so far excavated, and is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The significant amounts of glass found in the site have suggested to many researchers that Aquileia played a central role in glass production and trade in ancient times, although only very few archaeometric data have been obtained so far. In this context, an archaeological and archaeometric study was conducted on 62 unintentionally coloured samples of Late Roman glass (late 3rd–6th centuries AD) from the excavation of the Casa delle Bestie Ferite (“House of the Wounded Animals”). Results indicate the importance of Aquileia in the glass trade. Bulk chemistry (EPMA and XRF data) evidences a compositional transition with respect to Early Roman glass (1st–3rd centuries AD), indicating changes in raw materials for glass-making. In particular, the chemical data show the close similarity between Aquileia glass and some of the main compositional groups widespread in the Mediterranean from the 4th century onwards (HIMT, Levantine I, Série 3.2), suggesting their probable common origin in the Eastern Mediterranean. This evidence suggests there was no primary glass production in Aquileia, as presumed in the past by some authors. No relationships between chemical composition, type, chronology or production technique have been observed, although the possible connection between HIMT-type glass and low-quality objects such as bottles cannot be completely excluded and must be better investigated in future research.