Theme:
4. Polis, Empire, League and Beyond – Living in Interconnected Societies
Session format:
Regular session
Title:
The Network Former: Trade and Exchange of Glass in Antiquity
Content:
By bringing together the archaeological and archaeometric evidence for glass use and trade, this session aims to examine the role of glass in regional and inter-regional social, cultural, and economic networks present in ancient Europe and the Mediterranean (mid–2nd millennium BCE – 7th ct. CE).
Full of colour or nearly devoid of it, opaque or translucent, glass is an artificial material with a unique set of properties regulated by the technological know-how of the craftsmen as well as the aesthetic and functional properties preferred by their societies. Since the beginnings of the industry and throughout antiquity, glass, either as a raw material or as finished objects, was manufactured in primary and secondary production centres and traded further afield, with findings demonstrating the existence of long-distance glass trade since the Late Bronze Age. The resulting cultural interconnections did not only lead to the circulation, appreciation, and different valuations of glass, but also likely acted as a catalyst for technological experimentation and innovation.
The proposed session aims to evaluate the influence of glass on the communal connections at various levels. Was the demand for this prestige material actively forming connections between groups, and establishing new trade corridors, or was glass supply adapting to the already present nodes of connection? How did the existing connections affect the use of and demand for glass? How were the cross-craft interactions and knowledge transfer organised within different societies and industries, and at different times?
This session will welcome papers exploring the role of glass in wider trade and social networks or in the formation of inter-communal and inter-regional connections through the lens of typology, technology, chaînes opératoires, knowledge transfer, experimental archaeology, and chemical analyses.
Keywords:
glass, cross-cultural connections, knowledge transfer, cross-craft interactions, long-distance trade
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:
Main organiser:
Ana Franjic (Croatia) 1
Co-organisers:
Eleonora Montanari (United Kingdom) 2
Affiliations:
1. Museum of Ancient Glass, Zadar
2. Newcastle University
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