Chemical Characterization of the Roman Glass Finds from Muricelle Archaeological Site (Luzzi, Cosenza)

Abstract: This study reports the results obtained on seventeen glass finds collected from the ar- chaeological site of Muricelle near Cosenza in Calabria (Italy), dated between the first and third century AD. Chemical characterization was undertaken by using an electron probe micro analyser (EPMA). The glasses showed a soda–lime–silica composition indicating the use of the natron as a flux. The comparison between the collected data and those on coeval finds available from the literature allowed us to subdivide the Muricelle glass into three compositional groups: (1) Mn_a, classified as Roman-Mn glasses; (2) Mn_b, which can be compared to the Mn-unintentionally coloured Roman glasses; and (3) Sb + Mn, obtained by the recycling of the Sb and Mn Roman-type glasses. These groups were different not only with respect to the contents and the types of decolourants but also for soda, lime, and aluminium contents, highlighting the use of different raw materials in the pri- mary glass production and also indicating the procedures used in secondary glass production. The compositional characteristics suggested the Levant region as the primary glass source for the Mn_a and Mn_b groups. On the other hand, the Sb + Mn group was obtained through recycling, involving the melting and mixing of two types of primary glass (Sb-decolourised and Mn-decolourised) of Egyptian and Levantine origins, respectively.