Chapter 10: The Islamic Glass Vessels – Yael Gorin-Rosen 2010

The glass assemblage recovered in the current excavation (see Chapter 1, this volume) is unusual among Early Islamic findings in Ramla, in terms of both quantities and and breadth of repertoire. This assemblage comprises hundreds of items and is dated mainly to the eighth-ninth centuries CE. Also represented are vessel types which were in production over a more longer timespan, and which continued to appear during the Late Islamic period (tenth-twelfth centuries CE). The wide variety of glass vessels found at this site includes mainly tableware and storage utensils, attesting to the urban and civilian nature of this part of Ramla. Most of the vessels represent common types prevalent throughout the Islamic empire, within the modern borders of Israel and beyond. This report focuses on a partial sample of the assemblage, but one that is fairly representative (a description of the entire assemblage is in preparation [Gat, forthcoming]). Many of the vessels were recovered in defined archaeological contexts such as pits and installations, or in their vicinity. The specific function and character of these contexts is somewhat obscured by post-occupational damage (see Chapter 2, this volume), but with regard to the pits it is to be assumed that they mostly served as storage facilities for various types of food. The vessels in the assemblage are all made from blown glass, while a single type that is relatively typical of the Islamic period was mold-blown and is decorated with a hexagonal pattern (not presented in this report). The range of glass colors in the assemblage is limited, including mainly pale blue and greenish hues. There are also vessels made of colorless glass, as well as several which are pinkish, yellowish, golden, and light and dark brown.

Atiqot 108, 2022

Accounts of Chemical Research, 2002

The chemical analysis of excavated glass fragments from dated archaeological contexts in Raqqa, Syria, has provided a detailed picture of the chemical compositions of artefacts deriving from eighth to ninth and 11th century glassmaking and glassworking activities. Evidence for primary glass production has been found at three excavated sites, of eighth to ninth, 11th and 12th century dates; the first two are discussed here. The 2 km long industrial complex at al-Raqqa was associated with an urban landscape consisting of two Islamic cities (al-Raqqa and al-Rafika) and a series of palace complexes. The glass fused and worked there was presumably for local as well as for regional consumption.

Proceedings of the Seminar for South Arabian Studies, 2018

Detailed studies of the pottery and stuccoes of the church and associated complex at Sir Bani Yas indicate these date to the seventh and eighth centuries. This paper examines the only other significant set of finds, namely the glassware. Several other churches and monasteries have been excavated in the Persian Gulf and Western Desert of Iraq but this is the first occasion where the glass assemblage has been studied in detail and has included comprehensive scientific analysis of the glass compositions. Analysis by electron probe microanalysis of 85 samples with multi-variate statistical analysis has identified four compositional groups of plant ash glass. The largest is relatively high in lime and alumina, and could not be related to previously analysed groups. Two groups were compositionally similar to Mesopotamian glass of the Sasanian and early Islamic periods, corresponding to Mesopotamian Types 1 and 2 of Phelps (2016, 2018) and suggest trade in glass from Mesopotamia to Sir Bani Yas. A final group is small and shares similarity to three contemporary samples from Kush. The sparse use of MnO as a decolourant in the glass as opposed to its ubiquitous use in 9 th century Abbasid glass suggests an Early Islamic seventh-eighth century date for this assemblage, consistent with the ceramic dating.

The medieval port city of Sīrāf (ca. 800–1050 CE) on the north coast of the Persian/Arabian Gulf linked the core lands of the ‘Abbāsid caliphate with India, China, Africa, and beyond. 101 glass fragments recovered from the 1966–1973 excavations at Sīrāf and now at the Corning Museum of Glass were analysed using LA-ICPMS in order to explore the glassmaking raw materials and technology of the objects found within the city, as well as to address issues of the production and trade of glass during the Islamic period. The results indicate that the main groups of glass at Sīrāf likely date to the 9th–early 11th centuries and can be subdivided by the trace elements zirconium and chromium. Chemical matches with some likely Indian glass, and with glass finds from South and Southeast Asia, underline the pivotal role of the Gulf in the eastward movement of Islamic glass via the Indian Ocean trade network, as well as the influx of Indian glass into the Islamic world. Glass bangles and a small number of vessel fragments likely date to the late 11th century or later, and their chemical compositions indicate different production origins.

Archaeometry 46, 439-468, 2004

"The chemical analysis of excavated glass fragments from dated archaeological contexts in Raqqa, Syria, has provided a detailed picture of the chemical compositions of artefacts deriving from eighth to ninth and 11th century glassmaking and glassworking activities. Evidence for primary glass production has been found at three excavated sites, of eighth to ninth, 11th and 12th century dates; the first two are discussed here. The 2 km long industrial complex at al-Raqqa was associated with an urban landscape consisting of two Islamic cities (al-Raqqa and al-Rafika) and a series of palace complexes. The glass fused and worked there was presumably for local as well as for regional consumption. Al-Raqqa currently appears to have produced the earliest well-dated production on record in the Middle East of an Islamic high-magnesia glass based on an alkaline plant ash flux and quartz. An eighth to ninth century late ‘Roman’/Byzantine soda–lime recipe of natron and sand begins to be replaced in the eighth to ninth century by a plant ash – quartz Islamic soda–lime composition. By the 11th century, this process was nearly complete. The early Islamic natron glass compositional group from al-Raqqa shows very little spread in values, indicating a repeatedly well-controlled process with the use of chemically homogeneous raw materials. A compositionally more diffuse range of eighth to ninth century plant ash glass compositions have been identified. One is not only distinct from established groups of plant ash and natron glasses, but is believed to be the result of experimentation with new raw material combinations. Compositional analysis of primary production waste including furnace glass (raw glass adhering to furnace brick) shows that contemporary glasses of three distinct plant ash types based on various combinations of plant ash, quartz and sand were being made in al-Raqqa during the late eighth to ninth centuries. This is a uniquely wide compositional range from an ancient glass production site, offering new insights into the complexity of Islamic glass technology at a time of change and innovation."

Archaeometry, 2004

The chemical analysis of excavated glass fragments from dated archaeological contexts in Raqqa, Syria, has provided a detailed picture of the chemical compositions of artefacts deriving from eighth to ninth and 11th century glassmaking and glassworking activities. Evidence for primary glass production has been found at three excavated sites, of eighth to ninth, 11th and 12th century dates; the first two are discussed here. The 2 km long industrial complex at al-Raqqa was associated with an urban landscape consisting of two Islamic cities (al-Raqqa and al-Rafika) and a series of palace complexes. The glass fused and worked there was presumably for local as well as for regional consumption.

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2017

The medieval port city of Sīrāf (ca. 800-1050 CE) on the north coast of the Persian/Arabian Gulf linked the core lands of the 'Abbāsid caliphate with India, China, Africa, and beyond. 101 glass fragments recovered from the 1966-1973 excavations at Sīrāf and now at the Corning Museum of Glass were analysed using LA-ICPMS in order to explore the glassmaking raw materials and technology of the objects found within the city, as well as to address issues of the production and trade of glass during the Islamic period. The results indicate that the main groups of glass at Sīrāf likely date to the 9 th-early 11 th centuries and can be subdivided by the trace elements zirconium and chromium. Chemical matches with some likely Indian glass, and with glass finds from South and Southeast Asia, underline the pivotal role of the Gulf in the eastward movement of Islamic glass via the Indian Ocean trade network, as well as the influx of Indian glass into the Islamic world. Glass bangles and a small number of vessel fragments likely date to the late 11 th century or later, and their chemical compositions indicate different production origins. Keywords Sīrāf, Siraf; Iran; Gulf; Islamic glass; bangles; Indian Ocean trade; LA-ICPMS; zirconium; chromium; manganese; high alumina Highlights  90% are plant-ash glasses from 9 th-early 11 th centuries, with subgroups based on zirconium and chromium

PLoSONE13(8):e0201749, 2018

Capital of the Abbasid Caliphate between 836 and 892 CE, the palace-city of Samarra offers a precise window into early Islamic art and architecture. Excavations conducted more than 100 years ago are seen as the beginnings of scientific Islamic archaeology, and have yielded an exceptional array of finds including a wealth of glass artefacts. The chemical composition of glass reflects the nature of the raw materials and their geological provenance and can therefore reveal past technologies and economic and cultural interactions. Through high-resolution analysis of a comprehensive glass assemblage from Samarra we have new evidence that points to the existence of an advanced Abbasid glass industry, as well as the import of specific glass objects for the thriving new capital city. Quantitative analytical data of 58 elements by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) show a striking correlation between object types and glass compositions. The compositional profiles of two related plant ash groups of architectural glass point to a local production, destined for the decoration of the famed glass walls of Abbasid palaces. The selective use of objects, materials and colours to create reflective and luminous glass walls are indicative of the great cultural and economic value of glass during the Abbasid period. Our findings thus confirm the veracity of written sources that stipulate the production of glass in the vicinity of Samarra, as well as the import of selected artefacts such as Byzantine mosaic tesserae.