Roman and late-Roman glass from north-eastern Italy: comparing raw materials and production technologies of vessels and mosaic tesserae

Abstract The present research focuses on the archaeometric study of glasses circulating in north-eastern Italy between Roman times and Late Antiquity with the aim of clarifying raw materials and production technologies. Unlike the approach generally used in the study of glass, which focuses on one of the two classes of materials, vessels and vitreous mosaic tesserae are here addressed in parallel, in order to have a wider picture on the circulation of glass and glass-technologies in the area. The glass vessels here examined come from the most important north-Adriatic harbours of the considered time span: Classe (Ravenna) and Aquileia (Udine). The assemblage of Classe, mainly composed of working wastes and drinking vessels dated to the 5th-8th century, was excavated in the productive area of the harbour of Classe and is thought to derive from a glass workshop. The assemblage excavated in the domus of Tito Macro in Aquileia comprises mainly tableware dated to the 1st-8th century, and some working indicators including chunks. The opportunity of analysing vessels and glassworking wastes excavated in the two cities allows speculating on the composition of locally-worked glass, the location of supply of raw materials and trade routes. The glass tesserae here investigated come from three sites: the disrupted decoration of the Roman buildings excavated under the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Trento (Italy) and dated to the 2nd-4th century; the disrupted decoration of the Roman villa of Torre di Pordenone dated to the 2nd-5th century AD; and the in-situ mosaic of the Domus delle Bestie Ferite in Aquileia, dated to the second half of the 4th century. The tesserae show a wide chromatic range, comparable in the three sites, that allows direct comparisons. Chemical, textural and mineralogical analyses were conducted by means of an articulated set of analytical methods aimed to obtain the highest standards of precision and accuracy. The analytical methods employed are OM, SEM-EDS, XRF, EMPA, MC-ICP-MS, XRPD, FORS, EPR, and Micro Raman Spectroscopy. The two sites of Classe and Aquileia are characterized by the presence of glass compositions referable to the late Antiquity, with a high degree of comparability in terms of chemical composition and isotopic signatures, which allow hypothesizing that the two cities had similar trade routes from similar supply areas located along the eastern Mediterranean shores. The examination of the mosaic tesserae highlighted a compositional uniformity in the sites of Pordenone and Trento, in which base glass, colouring agents and opacifiers are characteristic of the Roman time; differently, the mosaic of Aquileia shows a greater variety of chemical compositions and colouring/opacifying techniques, partly referable to the Late Antiquity, which indicates a prompt reception of technological innovations

Three-dimensional stratigraphy reconstruction and GIS - postprocessing issues in archaeological field 3D documentation

This paper aims to present the results of experiments which allowed us to propose up-to-date method of 3D visual representation of explored archaeological layers. Considering the destructive nature of excavations, the correct documentation of an exploration, which offers an insight both into the decision-making process taking place on site, and into the most faithful representation of the examined material, presents a fundamental challenge for a field archaeologist. The aim of the experiments presented here was to test three methods of creating 3D models of successive archaeological layers (contexts) recorded during an exploration. The presented findings show that the method of editing point clouds using open-source software prior to importing the model of the reconstruction of the explored layer into GIS software, is the best solution from the point of view of both the effort and time required, and it can definitely be suggested as the standard procedure of creating the graphical bases for an archaeological database

ARCTIS — A MATLAB® toolbox for archaeological imaging spectroscopy

Imaging spectroscopy acquires imagery in hundreds or more narrow contiguous spectral bands. This offers unprecedented information for archaeological research. To extract the maximum of useful archaeological information from it, however, a number of problems have to be solved. Major problems relate to data redundancy and the visualization of the large amount of data. This makes data mining approaches necessary, as well as efficient data visualization tools. Additional problems relate to data quality. Indeed, the upwelling electromagnetic radiation is recorded in small spectral bands that are only about ten nanometers wide. The signal received by the sensor is, thus quite low compared to sensor noise and possible atmospheric perturbations. The often small, instantaneous field of view (IFOV)—essential for archaeologically relevant imaging spectrometer datasets—further limits the useful signal stemming from the ground. The combination of both effects makes radiometric smoothing techniques mandatory. The present study details the functionality of a MATLAB®-based toolbox, called ARCTIS (ARChaeological Toolbox for Imaging Spectroscopy), for filtering, enhancing, analyzing, and visualizing imaging spectrometer datasets. The toolbox addresses the above-mentioned problems. Its Graphical User Interface (GUI) is designed to allow non-experts in remote sensing to extract a wealth of information from imaging spectroscopy for archaeological research. ARCTIS will be released under creative commons license, free of charge, via website (http://luftbildarchiv.univie.ac.at)

Constructing Identity: The Roman-Era Northwestern Adriatic Laced Tradition of Boatbuilding

This dissertation investigates the development of a local tradition of laced boatbuilding along the coasts and inland waterways of the northwestern Adriatic Sea during the Roman period (with definitive evidence between the second century B.C.E. and the sixth century C.E.). The primary focus of this research is to explore in particular how the preservation of this tradition reflects the existence of a local cultural identity for the community of builders in this region in the path of an expanding Roman presence as evidenced by changing material culture in the contemporaneous Mediterranean world. An environmental deterministic model has been proposed to explain the perseverance of the northwestern Adriatic laced tradition of boat-building; however, this model leaves several sociocultural and economic factors unexplored. This project is the first comprehensive study to contextualize northwestern Adriatic laced boats against the broader social, cultural, and economic background of the Mediterranean world and the local region, and to examine why a particular local boatbuilding tradition endured in a relatively small geographic region over an extended time period. It is the ultimate goal of this study to translate the technical aspects of the boat-building culture represented by northwestern Adriatic laced vessels into a broader discussion of the lifeways and identities of these ancient builders. The decision-making strategies of the ancient builders are examined in regards to the materials used and techniques employed in the construction of these vessels, how these features changed across time, space, and/or function, and what factors might have affected the stability or dynamism of these material and structural aspects of the boat-building tradition Through this approach, I identify the stable features of the construction method that define the tradition as well as dynamic features that likely represent distinct builders or groups of builders within the broader community of practice. Understanding the decision-making strategies of the ancient builders of northwestern Adriatic laced vessels adds to our understanding of this local tradition of boatbuilding and provides an example of the nuanced experiences of various groups with the processes of Roman colonialism and subsequent cultural change

Are we there yet? A review and assessment of archaeological passive airborne optical imaging approaches in the light of landscape archaeology

Archaeologists often rely on passive airborne optical remote sensing to deliver some of the core data for (European) landscape archaeology projects. Despite the many technological and theoretical evolutions that have characterised this field of archaeology, the dominant aerial photographic surveys, but also less common approaches to archaeological airborne reconnaissance, still suffer from many inherent biases imposed by sub-par sampling strategies, cost, instrument availability and post-processing issues. This paper starts with the concept of landscape (archaeology) and uses it to frame archaeological airborne remote sensing. After introducing the need for bias reduction when sampling an already distorted archaeological population and expanding on the ‘theory-neutral’ claim of aerial survey, the paper presents eight key characteristics that all have the potential to increase or decrease the subjectivity and bias when collecting airborne optical imagery with passive sensors. Within this setting, the paper then offers some technological-methodological reflection on the various passive airborne optical imaging solutions that landscape archaeology has come to rely upon in the past decades. In doing so, it calls into question the effectiveness and suitability of these highly subjective approaches for landscape archaeology. Finally, the paper proposes a new, more objective approach to aerial optical image acquisition with passive sensors. In the discussion, the text argues that the suggested exhaustive (or total) airborne sampling of the preserved archaeological record might transcend particular theoretical paradigms, while the data generated could span various interpretational perspectives and oppositional analytical approaches in landscape archaeology

Keramična oljenka v obliki gladiatorske čelade iz viminacijskega amfiteatra

The article discusses a terracotta lamp in the shape of a gladiator’s helmet that was discovered inside the Viminacium amphitheatre. It was found near architectural structures probably devoted to a gladiatorial cult practice. The lamp is dated to the first quarter of the 2nd century AD, and it coincides with the period of the development of the city and the early use of the amphitheatre.  The lamp’s superb workmanship with precisely executed details suggests the lamp was an imported item. As the lamp was fragmented, we attempted to reconstruct it based on similar specimens. We believe that it represents a miniaturized helmet of a murmillo gladiator. We also tried to determine the manufacturing process and purpose of the lamp on the basis of its attributes and the context of discovery.Članek obravnava keramično oljenko, ki posnema obliko gladiatorske čelade in je bila odkrita v viminacijskem amfiteatru. Najdena je bila v bližini manjših konstrukcij, ki verjetno predstavljajo gladiatorski kultni prostor. Oljenka izvira iz prve četrtine 2. stoletja našega štetja, kar časovno sovpada z razvojem mesta in začetkom delovanja amfiteatra. Vrhunska izdelava z natančno oblikovanimi podrobnostmi dokazuje, da gre za uvožen izdelek. Rekonstruirana nepopolno ohranjena svetilka iz Viminacija glede na analogije predstavlja pomanjšani posnetek značilnih čelad gladiatorjev murmillo. Po okrasu svetilke in njeni obliki lahko sklepamo o načinu izdelave, predvsem lokacija najdbe, domnevno povezana s kultnimi prostori v amfiteatru, pa nakazuje ožjo namembnost svetilke

Seventh to eleventh century CE glass from Northern Italy: between continuity and innovation

Previous analytical studies show that most of Northern Italian glass has been heavily recycled and that mixing of natron and plant ash glass was occurring (Verità and Toninato 1990; Verità et al. 2002; Uboldi and Verità 2003; Andreescu-Treadgold and Henderson 2006; Silvestri and Marcante 2011). The re-use of “old Roman glass” has been interpreted as stagnation in glass trade from the primary production areas. However, the reintroduction of plant ash glass on sites such as Torcello, Nogara, and in Lombardy at the same time as it was reintroduced in the Levant, strongly indicates long-distance contacts with the Levant at least from the eighth century CE. This paper addresses the key issue of recycling by focusing on the compositional nature of glass traded and reworked in Northern Italy after the seventh century CE set in a broad Mediterranean context by analysing major, minor, and trace elements in eighty-nine glass samples (seventh to the eleventh century AD) from the glass workshop of Piazza XX Settembre, Comacchio. Five major previously proposed compositional groups of glass have been identified from Comacchio (Levantine Apollonia and Jalame types, HIMT, Foy-2, and plant ash glass). The impact of recycling and mixing practices in Comacchio glass is also discussed with the help of known recycling markers and selected ratios (major and trace elements). The mixing between Levantine, HIMT, and plant ash glass is highlighted and end-members of potential natron to natron mixing compositional groups have been identified. The compositional nature of plant ash glass from Northern Italy is discussed in light of their trace element content and production areas

Materiality in Roman Art and Architecture

Material is the substance of the world of things. Literary sources suggest that materiality was part of aesthetic perception, loaded with meaning and bound to function even in antiquity. To date, this complex reading of material has not been adequately represented in archaeological research. The present volume addresses this oversight by examining the decorative use of material in Roman Italy between the Late Republic and Early Imperial period

Things that Travelled

Recent research has demonstrated that, in the Roman, Late Antique, Early Islamic and Medieval worlds, glass was traded over long distances, from the Eastern Mediterranean, mainly Egypt and Israel, to Northern Africa, the Western Mediterranean and Northern Europe. Things that Travelled, a collaboration between the UCL Early Glass Technology Research Network, the Association for the History of Glass and the British Museum, aims to build on this knowledge. Covering all aspects of glass production, technology, distribution and trade in Roman, Byzantine and Early Medieval/Early Islamic times, including studies from Britain, Egypt, Cyprus, Italy and many others, the volume combines the strengths of the sciences and cultural studies to offer a new approach to research on ancient glass. By bringing together such a varied mix of contributors, specialising in a range of geographical areas and chronological time frames, this volume also offers a valuable contribution to broader discussions on glass within political, economic, cultural and historical arenas