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Archaeological and chemical variability of glass beads: olive and fusiform beads in central Europe

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Abstract

The distribution of olive and fusiform beads, geographically limited to Bohemia, Moravia (Czech Republic), Bavaria (Germany) and its surrounding area in the eighth–tenth centuries, suggests local central European glass-working. Archaeological differences in regional preference for olive or fusiform beads, typological details and their not entirely synchronous occurrence point to their production in several workshops. LA-ICP-MS analyses of 76 beads show that most of the beads were made from recycled soda-lime-silica natron glass of the older Roman tradition and Late Antique tradition, including Roman Mn, Mn-Sb, HIMT and Foy 2.1/2.2 subgroups, and contemporary glass from Egypt (so-called Egypt 2). Only isolated finds of olive beads from Bohemia were made from Islamic plant ash and western European wood ash glass. The reuse of glasses of different opacity and multiple colours was investigated by SEM-EDS on four beads. The present paper raises the question of glass sources for local glass-working in central Europe and contributes to the study of reuse and recycling of glass in this part of Europe.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Czech Science Foundation (GACR) for support of project No. 19-23566S—Prehistoric and historical glass from the Czech Republic. Continuity of dialogue of archeology and archaeometry. The authors are grateful for allowing access to collections of beads to Jiří Košta and National Museum in Prague, Šimon Ungerman and Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Brno, Arno Rettner and Archäologische Staatssammlung of Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte in Munich, Andreas Boos and Historisches Museum of Museen der Stadt Regensburg, Hans Losert and Institut für Archäologische Wissenschaften, Denkmalwissenschaften und Kunstgeschichte, Universität Bamberg. The study was conducted within institutional support RVO 67985831 of the Institute of Geology and RVO 67985912 of the Institute of Archaeology, Prague, both the Czech Academy of Sciences.

Funding

This research was funded by the Czech Science Foundation (GACR) – project no. 19-23566S—Prehistoric and historical glass from the Czech Republic. Continuity of dialogue of archeology and archaeometry.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Letenská 4, CZ-118 00, Prague 1, Czech Republic

    Kateřina Tomková

  2. Institute of Geology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Rozvojová 269, CZ-165 00, Prague 6, Czech Republic

    Šárka Křížová

  3. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-611 35, Brno, Czech Republic

    Veronika Faltusová & Tomáš Vaculovič

  4. IRAMAT-CEB, UMR7065, CNRS/Université d’Orléans, 3D Rue de la Férollerie, 45071, Orléans, France

    Nadine Schibille

  5. Faculty of Natural Sciences, Institute of Laboratory Research on Geomaterials, Comenius University in Bratislava, Mlynska dolina, Ilkovičova 6, 842 15, Bratislava 4, Slovakia

    Tomáš Vaculovič

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Contributions

KT analysed archaeological data and interpreted them in the context of chemical analyses. ŠK conducted SEM-EDS analyses of glass including their evaluation. TV and VF conducted LA-ICP-MS analyses including their evaluation. NS evaluated the compositional groups. Editing of the text was made by KT, NS and ŠK. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Kateřina Tomková.

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Tomková, K., Křížová, Š., Faltusová, V. et al. Archaeological and chemical variability of glass beads: olive and fusiform beads in central Europe. Archaeol Anthropol Sci 15, 19 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-023-01717-4

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