This study presents the results of an archaeometrical investigation performed on 75 black glass beads dated to the 9th-5th century BC coming from Bologna, Cumae and Pozzuoli (Italy), and Chotin (Slovakia). The analyses of the major, minor and trace elements -as well as that of Sr and Nd isotopes performed on a selection of samples coming from Bologna -provided evidence for two different production technologies in Iron Age black glass found in Italy (natron glass, probably produced in Egypt) and Slovakia (wood ash glass, probably produced in Europe). In both cases, the glasses derive their black colouration from the high presence of iron (around 12% FeO), introduced into the glass batches through the intentional choice of dark sands. The production model appears to be small-scale and experimental, characterised by the use of non-sorted raw materials and poorly defined formulae, producing glass with a high chemical variability. The wood ash technology appears to have dropped out of use in Europe until the Medieval period, while natron production spread quickly, becoming predominant throughout the Mediterranean.
Response to Reviewers:Answers to referees' comments and list of revisionsReviewer #1: The authors took in consideration most of the comments raised by this reviewer. Few points remain to be clarified.-The experimental section has been improved. The authors added a comment regarding the experimental protocol used for EPMA being equal to the condition reported in Henderson 1988b. However, the LA-ICPMS section becomes more unclear than before. In the original version we read that NIST 612 and 614 were used for external calibration, and that two glass standards (not specified) were used as secondary standards to check for accuracy and precision. The new version states instead that NIST 610 and 614 were used for external calibration, and NIST 612 was used as secondary standard to check for accuracy and precision. What happened to
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