Author:

Keywords:

Archaeometry, LA-ICP-MS, mineral resources, Nd isotopes, Sr isotopes, Science & Technology, Physical Sciences, Geology, RARE-EARTH ELEMENTS, SOUTH-WEST TURKEY, MEDITERRANEAN-SEA, SEDIMENTARY-ROCKS, BYZANTINE GLASS, ISOTOPES, STRONTIUM, SAGALASSOS, ND, EVOLUTION, 0403 Geology, 0914 Resources Engineering and Extractive Metallurgy, Paleontology, 3705 Geology

Abstract:

It has been shown before that the combined use of Sr and Nd isotopes allows the geographical origin of Roman primary glass production to be traced. Nd isotopes are characteristic of the mineral fraction other than quartz in the silica sand used for the glass, while Sr isotopes are in most cases characteristic of the lime component, either attributed to the sand or as a separate constituent in the form of shell. In this study, the relationship between a sand raw material and the resulting ancient glass in terms of their trace element and Sr-Nd isotopic compositions is investigated. Especially the relevance of REE versus the use of isotopic techniques in the provenance determination of glass production is evaluated. The REE content of Roman glass is shown to be dependent on the clay fraction of the sand, and is identical for most possible provenance areas in the Mediterranean. Conversely, elements such as Zr, Hf, Ti, Sn are controlled by heavy mineral concentrations in sand and offer great potential as indicators of glass provenance.