Roman window glass conservation: prospects for action after its archaeometric study
Abstract
Archaeometry is an essential tool in the study of ancient glass, both from an archaeological perspective and with regard to conservation of these materials. To understand how postdepositional processes and the treatments applied affect archaeological glass after its discovery, a set of Roman window glasses from several archaeological sites from the Baetica Roman province were selected for chemical-physical characterization. Samples were observed through field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and micro-analysed with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS). The results indicated that many of the glasses had lost their degradation layers as a result of cleaning treatments and storage systems. The important information obtained from the surfaces of these glasses with respect to processing and installation techniques raises the need to incorporate new conservation protocols after their finding.
Downloads
References
AGUA MARTÍNEZ, F.; CONDE MORENO, J.F.; OÑATE BAZTÁN, P.; SANGUINO VÁZQUEZ, J.; DÁVILA SERRANO, A.; GARCÍA-HERAS, M.; VILLEGAS BRONCANO, M.A. (2015). “Caracterización y estado de conservación de vidrios tardorromanos del Museo Arqueológico Regional de Madrid procedentes de las necrópolis de Cubas de la Sagra”, Boletín de la Sociedad Española de Cerámica y Vidrio, 54 (2): 58-68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bsecv.2015.03.003
ALLEN, D. (2002). “Roman window glass”. En Artefacts and Archaeology. Aspects of the Celtic and Roman world, Aldhouse-Green, M.; Webster, P. (eds.). Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 102-111.
BARRIO, J. (2003). “Evaluación crítica de los principios en Arqueometría, Conservación y Restauración de los vidrios arqueológicos”, Pátina: Revista de la Escuela de Conservación y Restauración de Bienes Culturales, 12: 53-64.
BOON, G.C. (1966). “Roman window glass from Wales”, Journal of Glass Studies, 8: 41-45. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24184877
COX, G.A.; FORD, B.A. (1993). “The long-term corrosion of glass by ground-water”, Journal of Materials Science, 28: 5637-5647. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00367840
DAVISON, S. (2003). Conservation and restoration of glass, 2ª edición. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
FERNÁNDEZ NAVARRO, J.M. (2003). El vidrio. Constitución, fabricación, propiedades. Madrid: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 3ª edición.
FREESTONE, I.C. (2001). “Post depositional changes in archaeological ceramics and glass”. En Handbook of Archaeological Sciences, Brothwell, D.R.; Pollard, A.M. (eds.). Chichester: John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 615-625.
FOY, D.; FONTAINE, S.D. (2008). “Diversité et évolution du vitrage de l’Antiquité et du Haut Moyen Âge”, Gallia, 65: 405-459. https://doi.org/10.3406/galia.2008.3349
GARCÍA-HERAS, M.; VILLEGAS BRONCANO, M.A. (2004). “Notas para el estudio científico del vidrio antiguo”, Zephyrus, 57: 377-390. https://revistas.usal.es/index.php/0514-7336/article/view/5414
KAPLAN, Z.; IPEKOGLU, B.; BOKE, H. (2017). “Physicochemical properties of glass tesserae in Roma terrace house from ancient Antandros (base glass, opacifiers and colorants), Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry, 17(1): 141-157. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.258103
KISA, A. (1908). Das glas im Altertume, 2. Leipzig: Verlag Von Karl W. Hiersemann.
KOOB, S.P. (2006). Conservation and care of glass objects. Londres-Nueva York: Archetype Publications & Corning Museum of Glass.
PALOMAR SANZ, T.; GARCÍA-HERAS, M.; SABIO GONZÁLEZ, R.; RINCÓN LÓPEZ, J.M.; VILLEGAS BRONCANO, M.A. (2012). “Composition, preservation and production technology of Augusta Emerita Roman glasses from the first to the sixth century AD”, Mediterranean Archaeology & Archaeometry, 12 (2): 193-211. http://www.maajournal.com/
PALOMAR SANZ, T.; OUIJA, M.; CASTILLEJO STRIANO, M.; SABIO GONZÁLEZ, R.; RINCÓN LÓPEZ, J.M.; GARCÍA-HERAS, M.; VILLEGAS BRONCANO, M.A. (2013). “Roman glasses from Augusta Emerita: study of the degradation pathologies using LIBS”. En Science and technology for the conservation of Cultural Heritage, Rogerio-Candelera, M.A.; Lazzari, M.; Cano Díaz, E. (eds.). Londres: A. A. Balkema Publishers, Taylor & Francis Group, 251-255. http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9781138000094/
PRICE, J.; COTTAM, S. (1998). Romano-British glass vessels: a handbook. York: Council for British Archaeology.
RAHMAN, M.Y.A.; SALLEH, M.M.; TALIB, I.A.; YAHAYA, M. (2005): “Solid state photoelectrochemical cells utilising graphite thin fils counter electrode”, Ionics, 11(3): 275-280. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02430389
SCHALM, O.; PROOST, K.; DE VIS, K.; CAGNO, S.; JANSSENS, K.; MEES, F.; JACOBS, P.; CAEN, J. (2011). “Manganeses staining of archaeological glass: the characterization of Mn-rich inclusions in leached layers and a hypothesis of its formation”, Archaeometry, 53(1): 103-112. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4754.2010.00534.x
SILVESTRI, A.; GIANMARIO, M.; SALVIULO, G. (2005). “Archaeological glass alteration products in marine and land-based environments: morphological, chemical and microtextural characterization”, Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids, 351: 1338-1349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnoncrysol.2005.03.013
VELO GALA, A.; MERINO ARANDA, A. (2017). “La curia de Torreparedones: un nuevo modelo de restitución a partir del estudio de otros materiales”, Actas del Décimo Congreso Nacional y Segundo Congreso Internacional Hispanoamericano de Historia de la Construcción. Donostia-San Sebastián, 3-7 de octubre 2017, 1707-1716.
VELO-GALA, A.; GARCÍA-HERAS, M.; ORFILA, M. (2019). “Roman window glass in Hispania Baetica: glass origin and manufacture study through Electrone Microprobe analysis”, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 24: 526-538. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2019.01.021
VELO-GALA, A. (2020): “El reciclaje del vidrio en época romana”. En Reutilización y reciclaje. Reflexiones desde la Arqueología, Velo Gala, A. Sánchez López, E. Orfila Pons, M. (eds.). Granada: Editorial Universidad de Granada, 89-106.
- Copyright and intellectual property belongs to author. Author guarantees editing and publishing rights to Ge-Conservación Journal, under a Creative Commons Attribution License. This license allows others to share the work with authorship and the original source of publication acknowledgement.
- Articles can be used for scientific and educational purposes but never for commercial use, being sanctioned by law.
- The whole content of the article is author’s responsibility.
- Ge-Conservación Journal and authors may establish additional agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the work version published at the Journal (for example, on institutional repositories or on a book) with acknowledgment of the original publication on this Journal.
- Author is allowed and encouraged to disseminate his works electronically (for example, on institutional repositories or on its own website) after being published on Ge-Conservación Journal. This will contribute for fruitful interchanges as also for wider and earlier citations of the author’s works.
- Author’s personal data will only be used for the Journal purposes and will not be given to others.
