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166 Abstract SEM-EDS analysis was used for the compositional characterization of two ancient glass beads collections , a late seventh-century BC Archaic collection from Rhodes Island and an Archaic to Hellenistic collection from mainland Greece (Thebes). The inclusion of additional literature data from fourthto second-century BC Rhodian glasses allows for a comparison of glass compositions over a substantial portion of antiquity for a mainland Greece and an Aegean location. Compositional patterning is explored on the basis of selected bivariate plots involving K2 O, MgO, CaO, Fe2 O3 , and Al2 O3 fractional contents. The bulk of the seventh-century BC Rhodian samples are found to correspond to plant ash–based material, while the samples from Thebes are natron-based glasses that exhibit compositional trends persisting for some centuries. Both CaO and MgO can contribute substantially as alkaline earth oxide components for the bulk of Rhodian samples , but the corresponding CaO/MgO ratio varies widely (from 1). The samples from Thebes rely largely on CaO, while MgO is a minor and, apparently , accidental component. Fe2 O3 is present as an impurity for the bulk of the samples although the use of an iron oxide as a coloring agent is possible in a few cases. Al2 O3 occurs as an impurity in the case of the samples from Rhodes, while the bulk of Al2 O3 present in the samples from Thebes appears to result from a deliberate addition of small amounts of alum-type materials. The broader issue of unusual raw materials in the ancient glass industry is also addressed on the basis of past materials concepts and statements scattered in ancient sources. 1. Introduction In the Middle East and East Mediterranean (MEEM ) world, early glass history is somewhat obscure. Major glass-technology achievements and the spread of glass artifacts start during the 16th to 12th century BC (Henderson 2000), and the advances appear to originate mostly from the Mesopotamian region and Egypt. Portions of the “glass materials map” for several MEEM subareas and time periods , such as the Late Bronze Age and later, remain rather sketchy with respect to the technological history of glass. This is true for Greece of historical times through the Hellenistic period,1 and this work focuses on the compositional makeup of glasses from this region over time. Glasses from the Greek mainland (Thebes) and an Aegean (Rhodes) location are investigated in this analysis. Some other issues, such as the connection between composition and processing temperatures and the presence of undissolved particles, pertinent to the related samples , have been recently considered in other publications (Zacharias et al. 2008; Oikonomou et al. 2008). Glass artifacts from within the Greek-speaking world occur sporadically from the 15th century BC, more extensively from the seventh century BC, and abundantly during Hellenistic times. The island of Rhodes during the eighth to sixth century BC and also in the Hellenistic Period was one of the most important glass-making and glass-working centers in Chapter 13 Characterization and Provenance of Archaeological Glass Artifacts from Mainland and Aegean Greece Konstantinos G. Beltsios, Artemios Oikonomou, Nikolaos Zacharias, Pavlos Triantafyllidis Characterization and Provenance of Glass Artifacts | 167 the eastern Mediterranean (Rehren et al. 2003). An impressive total of 10,000 glass objects was found in the Geometric (eighth–seventh century BC) and early Archaic tombs (late seventh–sixth century BC) of Ialysos and Kamiros and also in the sacred deposits of the large sanctuaries in Ialysos, Kamiros, and Lindos (Triantafyllidis 2006). The Rhodian beads considered here come from the ancient city of Kamiros, which blossomed mainly during the Archaic period (680– 480 BC). The contents of graves and artifacts from the depository in the temple of Athena testify to the fact that during the seventh and the sixth century BC commercial relations existed between Kamiros and mainland Greece, along with Asia Minor and the southeast Mediterranean. Indications of small-scale industries for ivory, gold, faience, and glass-making have also been reported (Filimonos et al. 2006). The explicit reference of Pliny to high-quality Rhodian versions of verdigris and cerussa (Pliny, XXXIV:112, 175–176 respectively), two pigments widely and easily prepared during antiquity, is an indication of longflourishing material preparation/processing indusmaterial preparation/processing indusmaterial preparation/processing induspreparation /processing induspreparation /processing indus- /processing indusprocessing indusindus indus tries in ancient Rhodes. A large number of glass ornaments, mainly necklace beads (n = 6000), were excavated from the acropolis during the Italian occupation of Rhodes (1912–1943). A total of 70 samples that date to the...

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