This research concerns the combined analysis of chemical and lead isotopic data of Roman natron glass samples from Sagalassos dating from 1-700 AD. It is based on a new way of interpreting data...Show moreThis research concerns the combined analysis of chemical and lead isotopic data of Roman natron glass samples from Sagalassos dating from 1-700 AD. It is based on a new way of interpreting data that also takes the effects of complex human actions on the material composition and the period of time in which an object moves from its source to archaeological deposition into account. Project FLAME has used this method for interpretation successful to map the flow of Bronze Age metal in Eurasia. The aims of this research are to test this new method of interpretation, to determine in which manner and extent it is successful in looking at glass materials from one context and if it can be used to characterize the flow of glass. This leads to the main research question ‘Is the proposed method for interpretation, according to the approach in Pollard and Bray (2015), with elemental and isotopic data suitable for mapping ‘the flow of glass’ of glass assemblages from Sagalassos (south-west Turkey) dating from 1-675 AD?’. Besides this main question, there are three supporting research questions. Answers to these questions were obtained through extensive data analysis. The multiple analyses are based on already known chemical and lead isotope data from 243 glass samples, no new samples were obtained especially for this research. The data has been used to make new interpretations by organizing, classifying and interpreting it in a different way. From all the data, 2 databases in Excel were made. These were used to make detailed analyses, tables and diagrams in Excel and Word, from which interpretations and conclusions could be made. The data is mostly classified into the groups time period, glass colour, provenance and recycling. This division makes it possible to indicate changes, similarities and differences in and between the chemical and lead isotope data. Important provenance observations are the continuous presence of glass from the provenances Egypt Alexandria and Syro-Palestine, the disappearance of west Mediterrenean glass in later time periods and the large increase of glass from Egypt HIMT in the last time period. Every provenance group and time period contains samples of all the main colours and both recycled and unrecycled samples. The provenance group Egypt Alexandria and colourless glass were the least used for recycling and the provenances Syro-Palestine and west Mediterrenean and blue and green coloured glass were used most frequent for recycling. Together, all these pieces of information have been used to determine the flow of glass and to describe its life history. The answers to the research questions are positive. The short summary in the above standing paragraph indicates some changes in the glass flow. It is further possible to identify, to a certain extent, the timing and general origin of new inputs into the Sagalassos glass flow and to interpret some of these changes in a social-geographical context. For the Sagalassos glass, the core of the glass flow and some other, smaller and faster changing elements of the flow could be identified. Overall, the answer to the main research question is yes, the proposed method for interpretation, according to the approach in Pollard and Bray (2015), is suitable for mapping ‘the flow of glass’ of glass samples from Sagalassos dating from 1-675 AD. Further research to test this method of interpretation more often and in a broader context is recommended. When it is consistently proofed to be reliable and a success, it can be widely used for glass analysis.Show less
