Late Antique Glass Vessels and Production Indicators from the Town of Herdonia (Foggia, Italy): New Data on Cao‐Rich/Weak HIMT Glass

Abstract

In the framework of the archaeometric research on Apulian Late Antique glass, a collection of 24 glass vessels (third to seventh centuries ad) and production indicators found at Herdonia (Foggia, Italy) was examined, by means of SEM–EDS, EMPA, ICP–MS and LA–ICP–MS. A fragment of crucible was further investigated by SEM–EDS and EMPA. The results obtained were discussed together with another glass collection from Herdonia previously investigated. The full set of 48 samples was made of siliceous sands mixed with plant ashes (two samples: a dark green slab and a colourless beaker/lamp) or natron (all the other 46 samples). The latter were assigned to the following compositional groups: HIMT, Levantine 1, RNCBGY1, RNCBGY2, RC/LAC‐Sb, intermediate HIMT/RNCBGY1, intermediate RNCBGY1/HIMT, intermediate Levantine/RNCBGY2 and two other groups, the CaO‐rich HIMT and the CaO‐rich/Na2O poor HIMT, which showed a prevailing Adriatic distribution and a close similarity to the weak HIMT glass group. Most Herdonia samples were similar to the HIMT productions, and thus of likely Egyptian origin, while a smaller number of samples referred to the Levantine productions.

Late Antique and Early Medieval Glass Vessels from Faragola (Italy)

“…The CaO‐rich HIMT glass (Gliozzo et al . ) includes 85 samples, mostly dated to between the fourth and the seventh centuries ad and mostly found in sites bordering the Adriatic Sea (Adria, Aquileia, Butrint, Classe, Grado, Herdonia , Padova, Ravenna, Rocca di Asolo and Tonovcov grad), but also in the United Kingdom, France, Tunisia, Morocco and Turkey. Its composition resembles that of a few Egyptian vessels from Bubastis of the weak HIMT group (Rosenow and Rehren ).…”

“…Given the geographical proximity of Faragola and Herdonia (9 km away from each other) and the chronological overlap of Faragola samples with respect to those of Herdonia, the issue of provenance was first approached using the same binary diagrams as prepared for the study of the Herdonia collection (Gliozzo et al 2015c). These diagrams report the compositional field of the Levantine, HIMT, Ca-rich (Na 2 O-poor) HIMT, RNCBGY 1 and 2, and RC/LAC-Sb glass groups .…”

“…The RC-Mn and the LAC-Mn groups (of unknown origin) include 108 Mn-decoloured samples, dated to between the first and the seventh centuries AD, and characterized by MnO contents > 0.2 wt% and Sb contents < 20 ppm. The CaO-rich HIMT glass (Gliozzo et al 2015c) includes 85 samples, mostly dated to between the fourth and the seventh centuries AD and mostly found in sites bordering the Adriatic Sea (Adria, Aquileia, Butrint, Classe, Grado, Herdonia, Padova, Ravenna, Rocca di Asolo and Tonovcov grad), but also in the United Kingdom, France, Tunisia, Morocco and Turkey. Its composition resembles that of a few Egyptian vessels from Bubastis of the weak HIMT group (Rosenow and Rehren 2014).…”

“…The RC/LAC-Sb fields have been drawn based on Gliozzo et al (2015b). The CaO-rich HIMT field has been drawn based on Gliozzo et al (2015c).…”

“…by their authors have been excluded. Preliminary values for the RC/ LAC-Sb (roman colourless, late antique colourless) and RC/LAC-Mn glass groups are proposed inGliozzo et al (2015b), while the average composition of the CaO-rich HIMT group is fromGliozzo et al (2015c)…”