Origin of Raw Materials of Ancient Glass (B.C.) from Kythnos Island, Greece

Abstract

Glass samples (B.C.) from the ancient town of Kythnos in the Cyclades were selected and analyzed for their oxygen isotopic and chemical compositions. Results show that the majority of glass samples are produced using natron as flux, suggesting that raw materials probably came from Wadi Natron and the Levantine area. The majority of the analyzed samples from Kythnos have a homogeneous oxygen isotopic composition, which is equal or very close to the mean value of “B.C.” glass, as deduced from a set of isotopic measurements on glass from Europe dated from the 8th to the 4th centuries B.C., showing a relatively narrow range of δ18O values. Similar results were also obtained from Ancient Pydna in Northern Greece.

Keywords

• Oxygen isotopes
• Compositional analysis
• Ancient glass
• Kythnos

References

1. Arletti, R., Ferrari, D., & Vezzalini, G. (2012). Pre-Roman glass from Mozia (Sicily-Italy): The first archaeometrical data. Journal of Archaeological Science, 39(11), 3396–3401.
2. Arletti, R., Maiorano, C., Ferrari, D., Vezzalini, G., & Quartieri, S. (2010). The first archaeometric data on polychrome Iron Age glass from sites located in northern Italy. Journal of Archaeological Science, 37(4), 703–712.
3. Blomme, A., Degryse, P., Dotsika, E., Ignatiadou, D., Longinelli, A., & Silvestri, A. (2017). Provenance of polychrome and colorless 8th–4th century BC glass from Pieria, Greece: A Chemical and isotopic approach. Journal of Archaeological Science, 78, 134–146.