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Glass beads from two Islamic archaeological sites in the Tagus valley in central Spain were selected and analysed by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS), and a subset of samples (n = 6) was analysed for Pb isotopes by multicollector thermal ionization mass spectrometry (MC‐TIMS). The analytical and isotopic data of the beads from Ciudad de Vascos (Toledo) and Albalat (Cáceres) demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt that glass beads were produced in the Iberian Peninsula during the Islamic period using local Pb‐silica and soda‐rich plant‐ash glass. The bead workshops in al‐Andalus were evidently part of an efficient system of glass collection and recycling, and used only relatively simple bead‐making techniques such as winding and folding. At present it is unclear to what extent the Islamic bead‐makers in the Iberian Peninsula were involved in the international trade in glass beads or whether their products were mainly destined for a regional market. Despite local production, some samples show compositional and typological features that suggest the import of finished glass beads, perhaps from Central Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glass beads first appear in the archaeological record of southern Africa around the mid-first millennium CE, marking the earliest signatures of extensive connections between the southern African region, the East African coast, and the broader Indian Ocean rim. Key research focused on glass beads, particularly from notable southern African polities, like the renowned Mapungubwe and Great Zimbabwe sites, has laid the groundwork for a regional taxonomic series of these beads, emphasizing their role as indicators of wealth and social status. This paper introduces new data on 59 glass beads from a recently excavated and lesser-known Zimbabwe culture site in the Mberengwa region of south-central Zimbabwe. The analysis employs non-invasive techniques, including typological classification and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The investigation identifies six glass bead series from Chumnungwa, composed of plant ash-lime (v-Na-Ca), vegetable soda-high alumina (v-Na-Al), and soda-based glasses with high-alumina concentrations (m-Na-Al). These beads, widely distributed in Asia and Africa between the eight and seventeenth centuries, shed new light on the geochemistry, provenance, and circulation patterns of glass beads in southern Africa, particularly within a community situated beyond the well-known Iron Age polities. Notably, Chumnungwa emerges as the first known Zimbabwe culture site in southern Africa to yield m-Na-Al 6 glass beads. However, as recently demonstrated at the Toutswe sites in Botswana, it is probable that other Zimbabwe culture sites in the region also possessed m-Na-Al 6 glass beads. These beads may have been misclassified as m-Na-Al 2 glass since this group was only recently unveiled on the East African coast, after the bulk of the currently available literature had been published. Insights drawn from contextual recovery data and Shona anthropology form the basis for an extended discussion on the consumption and sociality of glass beads in Iron Age southern Africa. Ultimately, the study underscores the challenge of typologically categorizing beads into established series without the application of LA-ICP-MS and other scientific approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phoenician colonisation of the Iberian Peninsula in the 1st millennium BCE introduced many novel and luxurious goods to the local populations of the Western Mediterranean. Among them, black-appearing glass beads are characteristic of indigenous female burials in Southern Portugal during the 6th century BCE. This study presents the results of the first comprehensive archaeometric investigation of black-appearing glass from Vinha das Caliças 4 (Portugal), and of black-appearing glass from the Iberian Peninsula in general. A multi-analytical approach employing Stereomicroscopic observation of manufacture and use traces, VP-SEM-EDS, μ-XRD, and LA-ICP-MS was used to cover a wide range of questions regarding technology and provenance. All analysed samples are natron glass. All samples of black and white beads are characterized by high Zr and low Sr values typically ascribed to the use of Egyptian sands. A comparison of the results of previous studies from the same site clearly demonstrates at least two geochemical provenances for Phoenician-traded glass beads, located in the Levantine region and Egypt, respectively. Furthermore, different colours of glass in individual polychrome beads exhibit similar trace element patterns, which might suggest these beads could have been produced close to glassmaking sites/regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The determination of elemental impurities in uranium ore concentrates (UOCs) is of great importance in the fields of nuclear forensics and nuclear safeguards and more generally for the nuclear industry. To avoid the use of chemical reagents, prevent waste generation, and reduce the duration of the analysis, a simple method based on sample preparation involving the conversion of UOCs into glass beads by alkaline fusion followed by direct measurement by laser ablation—sector-field ICP-MS (LA-ICP-MS) is proposed. External calibration was performed with a mix of UOCs and geological standard reference materials. Accurate results were obtained for most of the 48 elements of interest in six UOC materials. The lowest detection limits are in the ng g−1 range. With this method, concentrations of a wide range of elements can be determined within 24 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical analysis of glass from African archaeological sites has become a standard research tool over the past decades. Despite the multiplication of studies, the continent still exhibits vast unexplored regions. One of these is the surroundings of Lake Chad. This paper discusses the results of LA‐ICP‐MS analysis of recently excavated glass beads from the late medieval Chadian site of Tié. We demonstrate that the composition of those glass beads largely matches assemblages from along the East African coast. This indicates that most of the beads examined entered the region via a hitherto undocumented east–west Sudanic route linking Northeast Africa with Lake Chad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thebes, located in Boeotia in central Greece, is archaeologically and historically attested to have been an important centre ever since the Early Bronze Age. Regularly sustained glass working, testified by numerous finds in burial and settlement contexts, must have taken place since the Mycenaean times. In the current study, 35 samples of glass beads (30) and vessels (5), dating roughly from the 7th to 1st cent. BCE (Archaic to the Hellenistic/Early Roman era) are the subject of research. The aim was to assess some technological aspects of the assemblage, provide a chemical fingerprint for it and suggest a likely provenance, in an attempt to discuss issues of glass consumption and trade at a given era and culture. A combination of quasi-destructive techniques was applied, namely LA-ICP-MS and SEM-EDS for the identification of the major, minor and trace element composition. The results have provided evidence for different technological choices, reflected in the choice of raw materials and different origins are suggested for the subgroups identified in the course of the study.

The fourteenth-to-sixteenth-century AD site of Songo Mnara, in the Kilwa archipelago in southern Tanzania, is a stone town with many standing coral buildings. Extensive excavations at the site have produced over 9,000 beads, 7,444 of which are glass. A subset of 140 of these was chemically analyzed using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, revealing a notably diverse assemblage that included four main glass types: mineral soda-high alumina (m-Na-Al), vegetable soda-high alumina (v-Na-Al), high lead glasses, and vegetable soda-lime (v-Na-Ca) glass. Here we present these types, giving the first tightly dated assemblage for the fifteenth-century coast. We then focus on two notable features of the assemblage. Among the high-lead glass beads are two types from China: one dates to the early fifteenth century and the other from about 1600. These later Chinese beads were accompanied by some of the earliest European beads (v-Na-Ca) found in eastern Africa. Their provenance and meaning are examined. Then, we discuss large folded beads that were decorated with trails of colored glass. Such beads have been recorded only at Songo Mnara and Kilwa Kisiwani, and we suggest they may have been made locally from imported v-Na-Al glass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International expeditions extensively excavated Lower Nubia (between the First and Second Nile Cataracts) before it was submerged under the waters of Lake Nasser and Lake Nubia. The expeditions concentrated on monumental architecture and cemeteries, including sites at Qustul and Serra East, where the New Kingdom, and Napatan, Meroitic, Nobadian, and Makurian-period elites and common people were buried, ca. 1400 BC–AD 1400. Although the finds abound in adornments, including bead imports from Egypt and South India/Sri Lanka, only a few traces of local glass bead-making have been recorded in Nubia so far. Based on results of laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analysis of 76 glass beads, pendants, and chunks from Qustul and Serra East contexts, dated between the New Kingdom and the Makuria Kingdom periods, this paper discusses the composition and provenance of two types of plant-ash soda-lime (v-Na-Ca) glass, two types of mineral soda-lime glass (m-Na-Ca), and two types of mineral-soda-high alumina (m-Na-Al) glass. It also presents the remains of a probable local glass bead-making workshop dated to the period of intensive long-distance bead trade in Northeast Africa, AD 400–600. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In most African contexts, glass beads are evidence of direct and indirect exchanges between communities and are often useful chronological markers. Their analysis contributes to a better understanding of the social relationships between ancient societies. Over the last decade, the archaeometric analysis of glass beads has gained ground in Sub-Saharan Africa, but large regions across southeastern Africa have remained underexplored. Glass beads excavated from the Hora 1, Hora 5, and Mazinga 1 sites in the Kasitu Valley of the Mzimba District of northern Malawi were analyzed using laser ablation—inductively coupled plasma—mass spectrometry (LA-ICP- MS). These are granitic rock shelter sites located 40 km from Lake Malawi. They have predominantly Early Holocene and Pleistocene deposits but with a scattering of more recent material at the top. Analysis revealed that most of the beads were from European manufacture with one exception—a bead that has a composition typical of South Asia and that circulated from the fifteenth to the seventeenth century AD. Although Europeans were not present in the region before the second part of the nineteenth century, the presence of European beads testifies to trade directly or indirectly involving Europeans, most likely in association with increased trade in ivory and enslaved persons. The presence of the bead from South Asia and two cowrie beads from a fourth nearby site (Kadawonda 1) that dates to the seventh century AD show that European trade was the most recent manifestation of connections between the hinterland and the coast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several types of (mostly) blue-green glass beads from Iron-Age archaeological sites in Central Italy were studied using a range of spectroscopic techniques: portable X-Ray Fluorescence spectrometry, Fibre Optics Reflectance Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry, micro-Raman spectroscopy and Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. Complementary information was gathered from each technique and discussed in the frame of the archaeological typology of the objects. The systematic evaluation of the results allowed us to draw some conclusions on the raw materials employed for primary production and to highlight some provenance indicators in the glass. Some of the beads found in the Iron Age (IA) contexts were preliminarily attributed to the Final Bronze Age (FBA) production based on their typology, and the compositional data obtained in this work confirmed that they were low magnesium high potassium (LMHK) glass, typical of FBA in the Italian peninsula. Other beads were assigned to low magnesium glass (LMG) or high magnesium glass (HMG), thus giving further information on the fluxing agents employed in the Early Iron Age (EIA) and beyond. Colour variations among the beads reflected their chemical composition, with different bead typologies coloured in a specific way. In some instances, it was possible to establish different origins for the colouring raw materials. The provenance of the samples was difficult to place, but the chemical evidence suggested a subdivision within the raw glass used to produce the beads: for one set of samples, a local origin of the glass could be hypothesised, whereas several production sites in the Near East were suggested for most of the beads considered in this study. Some preliminary clues for the local working of imported glass were also highlighted for one typological group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long time period covered by the Hostivice cemeteries of the fourth century, late fifth–mid-sixth centuries and tenth century makes it possible to study the development of glass beads from the Late Roman period to the Early Middle Ages. Chemical analyses confirmed that the beads from central Europe reflect the principal transition from natron to plant ash glass during the eighth–ninth centuries. This study also shows that the beads made from natron glass were still distributed in the ninth–tenth centuries when new types of beads were made from this glass. Some of these beads are products of central European glass-working, where they occur alongside imported beads. Apart from that, high-boron glass, high-lead glass and a faience bead were also present at Hostivice in the tenth century. Limitations of chemical analysis in the study of beads related to compositional subgroups of natron glass and connected with the large scale of recycling and to the heterogeneity of opaque glass of beads are discussed. The recognition of supraregional and local types of beads, together with the synthesis of chemical and archaeological data, allowed us to characterize the reciprocal relations between chemical groups of glass and the typology and manufacturing techniques of the beads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Christian Nubia was a region with intensive transcultural connections that are visible through the understudied overseas glass bead imports found there. This paper presents the results of an analysis of 20 glass beads from Banganarti, a Christian pilgrim site active during the Makuria kingdom (mid‐sixth to 14th centuries CE). Compositional analyses using laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) have identified glass belonging to a number of broad compositional groups. Two beads were made of mineral soda‐lime glass, dated before the mid‐ninth century CE. Numerous beads were made from plant ash‐soda‐lime glass associated with "Mesopotamian" production dated between the eighth and 10th centuries CE. Lead‐soda‐silica glass has parallels in the ninth–10th centuries glass found in Africa and Europe. One plant ash‐soda‐lime bead was of eastern Mediterranean origin dated after the 10th century CE. Results of this study provide new evidence for provenance and chronology of glass beads available in the mediaeval Northeast Africa as well as contribute new data to the research on the pilgrim and/or trade routes of that time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thebes, located in Boeotia in central Greece, is archaeologically and historically attested to have been an important centre ever since the Early Bronze Age. Regularly sustained glass working, testified by numerous finds in burial and settlement contexts, must have taken place since the Mycenaean times. In the current study, 35 samples of glass beads (30) and vessels (5), dating roughly from the 7th to 1st cent. BCE (Archaic to the Hellenistic/Early Roman era) are the subject of research. The aim was to assess some technological aspects of the assemblage, provide a chemical fingerprint for it and suggest a likely provenance, in an attempt to discuss issues of glass consumption and trade at a given era and culture. A combination of quasi-destructive techniques was applied, namely LA-ICP-MS and SEM-EDS for the identification of the major, minor and trace element composition. The results have provided evidence for different technological choices, reflected in the choice of raw materials and different origins are suggested for the subgroups identified in the course of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glass beads from archaeological sites in the North American Great Lakes region have been subject to chemical analysis for several decades. Early work identified key elements in glass beads using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA), a bulk sample analysis method. Laser Ablation‐Inductively Coupled Plasma‐Mass Spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) now offers an alternative, point‐based analytical method. We compare results of analyzing the same artifacts using INAA and LA‐ICP‐MS, and analyses undertaken in two LA‐ICP‐MS laboratories with differing data analysis protocols. Good comparability across methods and labs makes it possible to combine legacy and newly obtained data to explore interregional archaeological questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mobility of the Blemmyes between the Nile Valley and the Red Sea coast, and their skill in trading, are well attested in the literary sources and in the archaeological record. While they operated mainly in the Eastern Desert, their cemeteries, dated to the mid‐fourth century ce, were located in the strategic region of the Dodekaschoinos of Lower Nubia. The personal adornments of the Blemmyes are mainly composed of beads, but the glass imports have not yet been scientifically studied. This paper presents the results of an analysis of 34 glass beads from Blemmyan cemeteries around Kalabsha. Compositional analyses using laser ablation‐inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry has identified glass belonging to four groups. Numerous glass beads were made from low alumina soda‐lime glass (m‐Na‐Ca, m/v‐Na‐Ca), mainly associated with Egyptian production. Five beads were made of high‐alumina glass. While three of them were produced in South India/Sri Lanka, mixed or recycled glass was the probable source of high alumina in another two beads. One bead was made of plant ash‐soda glass. Results provide scientific evidence for the northernmost presence of South Indian/Sri Lankan glass beads in the Nile Valley and hint at the Blemmyan participation in broader regional exchange networks in North‐east Africa during a time of intensive overseas trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phoenician-Punic glass beads recovered from the necropolis of Vinha das Caliças 4 (Beja, Portugal), dated to the Iron Age, were studied by variable pressure scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (VP-SEM–EDS) and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). All glass was found to be soda-lime-silica natron-based glass. Trace element and rare earth element analysis suggest that the blue, turquoise, white, and colorless glass was manufactured in the Levant region, using rather pure coastal sands, while two amber and black-colored glass beads seem to have been produced in Egypt. Although the exact manufacture location of these Phoenician-Punic glass beads remains unknown, these results are in agreement with the commercialization of raw glass produced in established primary glass workshops in the Levant and in Egypt. The procurement of cobalt ores from specific geological provinces, on the other hand, is a strong evidence of the existence of large-scale trade routes of both raw materials and finished artefacts in the Iron Age. The finished artefacts trade routes included not only the previously established Mediterranean world and sub-Saharan Africa, but also Southern Central Iberia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cemetery at Malbork-Wielbark, Pomeranian voivodship, northern Poland, was in use from phase A1 of the Late Pre-Roman Iron Age (end of the 3rd/beginning of the 2nd century AD) to the early Migration Period (phase D1 – beginning of the 5th century AD). To date over 2,000 cremation and inhumation burials have been excavated at this site, yielding at least 3,500 glass beads. They appear mainly in inhumation graves from the early and late Roman Period and the early phase of the Migration Period (phases C1b–C3–D1), and at that time they were deposited in about 40 % of the graves in this cemetery. They are rarely found in cremation graves, and when they do appear it is usually in assemblages of later date. The number of beads in cremation graves throughout the lifespan of the necropolis was usually limited to just one or no more than a few. There is no clear correlation between the presence of glass beads in graves (cremation and inhumation) and the 'quality' of the grave goods, and therefore the status of the deceased. Beads (in varying numbers) appear sometimes in poor burials of various date, where they constitute the only (or almost only) grave goods. In theory, graves with more burial goods should contain a correspondingly greater number of beads, but there are many exceptions to this rule. Extensive, multi-element necklaces were one of the characteristic features of dress during the so-called "Wielbark Baroque" (phase B2/C1–C1a). In Malbork-Wielbark, such prestigious necklaces, with numerous glass beads, appear mainly in richly furnished burials from phase C of the Roman Period. In some really rich graves, however, the presence of beads seems to be reduced to a symbolic minimum. Anthropological analyses could be performed for 25 bead-bearing burials of the 41 excavated during 2008–2018. The results seem to suggest no relationship between the age of the individual, the type of burial rite and the variation in the number of beads in the grave. However, it is interesting that a relatively large proportion of the graves with a greater range of glass ornaments and items of dress were burials representing the infans I and infans II age groups. The selected beads were subjected to various laboratory analyses, examining both the morphology of the materials, based on surface observation with a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and their chemical composition. The chemical composition of all beads submitted for analysis was determined using the Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) technique. This analysis was performed for each colour in the case of multicoloured beads. A total of 43 glasses were analysed, including 18 single-colour beads and 25 analyses of variously coloured glasses taken from eight multicoloured beads. Additionally, some samples were analysed using an energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) microanalysis system fitted with SEM, and for some the chemical composition was determined by wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WD-XRF). The obtained results showed that all analysed samples represent soda-lime-silica glass (SLS glass), the majority of these samples having been made using a natural soda (natron). Due to the low content of Mg and K, they are referred to as LMLK glass. This means that, taking into account the results of the analysis, the majority of the analysed beads are consistent with glass beads produced in the Roman tradition. Only five of the 43 glass samples represent types of soda-lime-silica glass using plant ash as the flux. Due to the high content of Mg and K they are referred to as HMHK glasses. The individual glasses used in each bead came not from one but from various glass-melting factories. There is virtually no correlation between the type/ variety of glass and the dating of the graves in which the beads were deposited. Das Gräberfeld von Malbork-Wielbark, Woidwodschaft pomorskie, Nordpolen, wurde seit der Stufe A1 (Ende des 3./Anfang des 2. Jh. v. Chr.) der jüngeren vorrömischen Eisenzeit kontinuierlich bis zur Stufe D1 (Anfang des 5. Jh. n. Chr.) der frühen Völkerwanderungszeit genutzt. Bis heute wurden hier über 2000 Brand- und Körperbestattungen ausgegraben, die mindestens 3500 Glasperlen erbrachten. Sie traten größtenteils in Körpergräbern aus der jüngeren und späten Kaiserzeit sowie der frühen Völkerwanderungszeit auf (Stufen C1b–C3–D1); zu diesen Zeiten sind sie in etwa 40 % aller Gräber präsent. Glasperlen kommen nur vereinzelt in Brandgräbern vor, üblicherweise in den spät datierten Inventaren. Ihre Anzahl in den Brandbestattungen während der gesamten Laufzeit der Nekropole war gewöhnlich begrenzt und schwankte von einzelnen Exemplaren bis zu wenigen Stücken. Es gibt keine klare Korrelation zwischen dem Auftreten von Glasperlen in Gräbern (dies betrifft sowohl die Brandgräber als auch die Körperbestattungen) und der „Qualität" der übrigen Grabbeigaben und daher dem Sozialstatus des Verstorbenen. Während der ganzen Belegungsabfolge des Gräberfeldes treten Perlen (in unterschiedlicher Anzahl) manchmal in armen Bestattungen auf, wo sie die einzige (oder nahezu einzige) Ausstattung bilden. Theoretisch sollten Gräber mit mehr Beigaben eine entsprechend größere Anzahl Perlen enthalten, aber es gibt zahlreiche Ausnahmen von dieser Regel. Umfangreiche, prachtvolle Halsketten gehören zum charakteristischen Kleidungsschmuck während des sogenannten „Wielbark Barock" (Stufe B2/C1–C1a). In Malbork-Wielbark erscheinen solche repräsentativen Colliers mit zahlreichen Glasperlen jedoch erst vor allem in reichen Gräbern aus der Stufe C der Kaiserzeit. In einigen „Elitegräbern" scheint das Auftreten von Perlen jedoch auf ein symbolisches Minimum reduziert. 25 Gräber mit Glasperlen von den insgesamt 41 solchen Bestattungen aus den modernen Grabungen (2008–2018) sind anthropologisch untersucht worden. Die Ergebnisse scheinen keine Verbindung zwischen dem Alter des Individuums, dem Begräbnisritual und der Anzahl der Perlen im Grab anzuzeigen. Jedoch ist es aber bemerkenswert, dass ein relativ großer Anteil der Gräber mit einem größeren Sortiment von Glasschmuck und Kleidungselementen Gräber der Altersgruppe infans I und infans II darstellen. Die für die Laboranalysen ausgewählten Perlen sollten sowohl auf die Morphologie des Materials mit Oberflächenuntersuchungen im Rasterelektronenmikroskop (SEM) als auch auf ihre chemische Zusammensetzung hin untersucht werden. Letztere wurde mittels LA-ICP-MS (Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) ermittelt. Dies wurde im Fall von mehrfarbigen Perlen für jede Farbe durchgeführt. Insgesamt wurden 43 Gläser analysiert, 18 einfarbige Perlen und 25 Farben mehrfarbiger Perlen. Zusätzlich wurden einige Proben mit einem EDS-Mikroanalysesystem (energiedispersive Röntgenspektrometrie) an einem SEM analysiert und für einige auch mittels WD-XRF (wellenlängendispersive Röntgenfluoreszenz) die chemische Zusammensetzung bestimmt. Die erhaltenen Ergebnisse zeigten, dass alle analysierten Proben Soda-Kalk-Silikat-Gläser (SLS Gläser) repräsentieren, die Mehrzahl davon mit natürlicher Soda (Natron) hergestellt. Aufgrund der niedrigen Mg- und K-Gehalte werden sie als LMLK Gläser bezeichnet. Das bedeutet, dass in Anbetracht der Analysen die Mehrzahl der analysierten Glasperlen denjenigen der römischen Tradition entspricht. Nur 4 von 43 Glasproben repräsentieren Soda-Kalk-Silikat-Gläser, für die Pflanzenaschen als Flussmittel verwendet wurden. Wegen der hohen Mg- und K-Gehalte werden sie als HMHK Gläser bezeichnet. Die für die Perlen verwendeten jeweiligen Gläser stammten nicht aus einer, sondern aus verschiedenen glasschmelzenden Werkstätten. Es gibt so gut wie keine Korrelation zwischen dem Typ bzw. der Varietät des Glases und der Datierung der Gräber, in denen sie deponiert wurden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report focuses on the morphometric and elemental analysis of glass beads collected from an adobe structure (CA-SCR-217H-T) at Mission Santa Cruz, which operated between 1791 and the 1830s in the colonial province of Alta (upper) California. Previous chemical research established a chronological framework for opacified beads collected from sites in Canada, the Great Lakes region, and the southeastern United States. Testing the viability of this chronological framework for California, we analyzed 100 white glass beads using a conventional typology and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS)--the first application of LA-ICP-MS to a California mission. We present the results of the LA-ICP-MS study and then briefly comment on the potential for LA-ICP-MS to refine chronologies associated with colonial missions and other postcontact sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Excavated glass artifacts are usually environmentally impacted, causing spatial inhomogeneity which poses great challenges for accurate and non-destructive chemical characterization. Here, we present our study on accurate characterization of archaeological glass with Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), a high-precision and minimally destructive analytic method. Using three corroded glass beads excavated from Guangnan, Yunnan, Southern China as examples, we discuss the issues that may be involved when observing signal curves of highly inhomogeneous archaeological glass, as well as provide chemical characterization for the intact pristine body. Results indicate that these Indo-Pacific monochrome beads are of the potassium silicate glass type and used mineral potash source, and that they contain copper as the colorant. By discussing the breadth and depth types of inhomogeneity and focusing on perturbation endured by major elements, we identify the extent of environmental alteration and describe how different elements and matrices can respond differently to the archaeological environment, leading to various corrosion behaviors. For such samples LA-ICP-MS is shown to be an advantageous tool to provide archaeologically relevant information, or to probe artifact conditions for conservation purposes. A good understanding of sample conditions, and close attention to the experimental and calibration process are required to overcome inhomogeneity when tackling archaeological glass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser ablation‐inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) analysis was undertaken on 37 blue glass beads excavated from a tomb in the southern Faiyum region of northern Egypt. The tomb was undisturbed, contained the remains of seven females and two children, and dated between the reigns of Amenhotep I (1525–1504 bce) and Tuthmosis III (1479–1425 bce). The glass beads were coloured by copper and the trace element concentrations were compositionally consistent with glasses from Mesopotamia rather than from Egypt. Therefore, these glass beads represent a rare example of Mesopotamian glass to be discovered in Egypt, in addition to being some of the earliest glass found. Gurob is known to have been the site of a 'harem palace' established in the reign of Tuthmosis III, the implication being that these beads represent luxury items transported to Egypt by high‐ranking foreign women, possibly in connection with the harem palace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excavated glass artifacts are usually environmentally impacted, causing spatial inhomogeneity which poses great challenges for accurate and non-destructive chemical characterization. Here, we present our study on accurate characterization of archaeological glass with Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), a high-precision and minimally destructive analytic method. Using three corroded glass beads excavated from Guangnan, Yunnan, Southern China as examples, we discuss the issues that may be involved when observing signal curves of highly inhomogeneous archaeological glass, as well as provide chemical characterization for the intact pristine body. Results indicate that these Indo-Pacific monochrome beads are of the potassium silicate glass type and used mineral potash source, and that they contain copper as the colorant. By discussing the breadth and depth types of inhomogeneity and focusing on perturbation endured by major elements, we identify the extent of environmental alteration and describe how different elements and matrices can respond differently to the archaeological environment, leading to various corrosion behaviors. For such samples LA-ICP-MS is shown to be an advantageous tool to provide archaeologically relevant information, or to probe artifact conditions for conservation purposes. A good understanding of sample conditions, and close attention to the experimental and calibration process are required to overcome inhomogeneity when tackling archaeological glass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a detailed elemental analysis of 64 glass beads and pendants dated to the Meroitic period (first–third centuries ad) and the Nobadian period (fourth–sixth centuries) from burial sites in the Lower Nubian Nile Valley region. Laser ablation‐inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) was used to determine the chemical composition of the glass and to gain knowledge about its origin. Four main glass types were identified: low‐alumina soda‐lime glass, high‐alumina glass, plant‐ash soda‐lime glass, and mixed‐alkali glass. Mineral soda‐lime glass (m‐Na‐Ca) of East Mediterranean/Egyptian provenance is dominant within the low‐alumina glass group from Meroitic and Nobadian periods. Mineral soda high‐alumina glass (m‐Na‐Al) appeared in the Nobadian bead assemblages, and the m‐Na‐Al 1 subtype was produced in Sri Lanka/South India. An initial insight into the origin of the glass beads in Nubia from the first to sixth centuries is described, indicating the first evidence for the presence of Asian objects in Nubia. The data obtained for the bead trade in North‐east Africa in this study has allowed a new light to be shed on the westward flow of Asian glass during a time of intensive maritime trade contacts with the wider Indian Ocean world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although glass beads were found in large quantities in Southeast Asia during the Iron Age and into the first millennium CE, glass artifacts from the Angkorian period (ninth-fifteenth centuries CE) are less common and have not been as well-studied. This paper presents the results of an analysis of 81 glass beads and artifacts from the ninth-century royal capital of Hariharālaya and later (twelfth-fourteenth centuries CE) contexts from the walled city of Angkor Thom. Compositional analyses using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) have identified glass belonging to three broad compositional groups. The earlier Hariharālaya sites have numerous glass beads and vessel fragments made from vegetal soda glass, associated with Middle Eastern production, as well as high-alumina mineral soda glass of a sub-type frequently found at Iron Age sites in Southeast Asia and likely produced in South Asia. Beads from the later-period sites within Angkor Thom are primarily lead glass, associated with Chinese glass production, and different sub-types of high-alumina mineral soda glass that have also been found at sites in Southeast Asia dating from the fourteenth to the nineteenth centuries CE. A small number of beads from Angkor Thom also have a vegetal soda composition distinct from beads at Hariharālaya. The results of this study provide a new type of evidence for elite participation in broader regional exchange networks during the Angkorian period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the chemical composition of 56 glass samples from 52 beads found in Poland at 13 archaeological sites (mainly cemeteries). The artefacts have been dated to the II-V period of the Bronze Age (=phases BzB-HaB; c. 1600-750/700 BC). The LA-ICP-MS method was applied. Two groups were distinguished in this assemblage based on a comparison of the MgO to K2O ratio in glass: (i) high magnesium glass (HMG)—23; and (ii) low magnesium and high potassium glass (LMHK)—33 (29 matrix glass specimens and 4 decorative). In southern Poland, beads made of HMG and LMHK are often found in the same cemeteries. Analyses have shown that HMG was most probably made in Mesopotamia and that at least one cobalt glass is of Egyptian provenance. LMHK glass was made in Europe, most probably in Italy. Also, Italy was the most probable transit point for artefacts made of HMG en route to East-Central Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulau Kampai is the name of a small island on the east coast of Sumatra and also the name of a village on this island. Excavations conducted at Pulau Kampai in the mid-1970s yielded glass beads likely manufactured in India. More glass beads dating from the 11th to the 14th c. AD were found during excavations undertaken more recently. Those beads were analyzed using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Results show that the vast majority of the beads were likely imported from South Asia. Trace element signatures point toward two production areas: western India for most of the beads and northeastern India for a few high copper orange and red beads. A small number of beads have a very different composition resulting from the use of soda plant ash and a low alumina silica source indicating a possible Middle-Eastern provenance. A comparison with data published elsewhere indicates a similarity with material found in Egypt, dating from the 13th to the 15th c. AD suggesting that those beads might have reached the island during the later phases of the occupation period and might have transited through Egypt. It is uncertain where those beads were manufactured within the Middle-East. A comparison is provided with the glass beads from the site of Kampung Sungai Mas (9th to the 11th c. AD) located in Malaysia, one of the only “late” sites in the area that was studied recently using LA-ICP-MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, 53 glass fragments from core-formed vessels and 3 glass beads are investigated using SEM/EDX, EPMA and LA-ICP-MS. All samples were excavated in the Latin settlement of Satricum in central west Italy and apart from two, were found in the so-called fourth-third c. BC Hellenistic Votive deposit, also known as Votive Deposit III, discovered in front of the sanctuary of Mater Matuta on top of the acropolis. The analytical results indicate that the glass from Satricum is a typical soda-lime-silica type with natron used as a flux. Its chemical compositions display a relatively low compositional variation. Small differences in the concentrations of major and minor oxides (SiO, AlO, CaO and FeO) and in trace elements (Sr, Zr and Nd) between individual samples suggest the use of different types of raw materials, especially sand. In turn, this suggests that the glass derived from more than one glass making centre. The combined investigation of colourants (Co, Cu and Mn) reinforces and confirms the idea that glass from Satricum was made using different manufacturing traditions during the Hellenistic period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent archaeological excavations at the seventh- to tenth-century CE sites of Unguja Ukuu and Fukuchani on Zanzibar Island have produced large numbers of glass beads that shed new light on the island's early interactions with the wider Indian Ocean world. A selected sample of the beads recovered was analyzed by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to determine the origins of the glass used to make the beads and potential trade relationships are considered. The data show that two major glass types can be identified: mineral-soda glass, m-Na-Al, produced in Sri Lanka (and possibly South India) and plant ash soda glass. The latter comprises three subtypes: two with low alumina concentrations and different quantities of lime (here designated v-Na-Ca subtypes A and B) and one with high alumina (designated v-Na-Al). The v-Na-Ca subtype A beads are chemically similar to Sasanian type 1 glass as well as Zhizo beads found in southern Africa, while v-Na-Ca subtype B compares reasonably well with glasses from Syria and the Levant. While the mineral-soda beads were made in South Asia, it appears likely that at least some of the plant ash beads were made in South or Southeast Asia from imported raw and/or scrap Middle Eastern glass. In contrast, during this period, all beads imported into southern Africa were made of Middle Eastern glass from east of the Euphrates (v-Na-Ca subtype A) and appear to have arrived on ships from Oman and the Persian Gulf. These data suggest that the two sections of the African coast were engaged in different Indian Ocean trade circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 74 glass beads, included as grave goods in 15th-17th century CE jar burials from Cambodia's Cardamom Mountains, were analysed using laser ablation - inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Several glass types were identified, including two subtypes of high-alumina mineral soda glass, and lead-potash glass. The final glass type represents a newly discovered and previously unidentified type of high-alumina soda glass, with high magnesia (m-Na-Al Mg>). This study represents the first glass data from the mid-second millennium CE from Cambodia and sheds light on the multiple long-distance maritime exchange networks in which the upland people buried in the jars were participating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glass beads that remain after measuring major element compositions using XRF can also be used to measure trace element compositions using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The JA-1 and JB-3 reference glass beads were used to evaluate the homogeneity of trace elements contained within them as well as the data quality of LA-ICP-MS measurements. JA-1 has a homogenous trace element composition with less than 10% relative standard deviation, and JB-3 has an average relative standard deviation and average limit of detection of the trace elements of 4% and 0.94%, respectively. The measured and reference values of JB-3 have the highest correlation (R = 0.996). Natural rock samples with intermediate to acidic compositions, such as Hwasun andesite, Mudeungsan dacite tuff, and Dogok rhyolite from Mudeungsan National Park, South Korea, are also used to evaluate the LA-ICP- MS data quality. Trace elements in these natural rock samples are plotted in a reasonable area of the geochemical discrimination diagram with sufficient precision. Accordingly, glass beads made from natural rock samples can be used to measure their trace element compositions using fast in situ and low-cost LA-ICP-MS analysis with similar data quality as achieved with normal solution ICP-MS analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chibuene, southern Mozambique, is the site of the earliest-known trading port in southern Africa. Radiocarbon dates place its occupation between the 6th and 17th centuries. Recovered exotic trade goods, especially glass beads, indicate it was the main port of entry for that trade into southern Africa from roughly the 8th to the mid-10th century. LA-ICP-MS analysis of glass beads, vessel shards and wasters from the site has brought to light a new bead series for the region that may push that trade back to the 7th century. The chemical characteristics and possible origins of the three main glass types present are explored and the history of the site is interpreted through the evidence provided by the glass shards and beads - their absence at times being as revealing as their presence at others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Class 13 and 14 Iron Age Scottish glass beads are a group of highly decorated beads of British origin or design, dating indicatively to the 1st and 2nd century AD and typically found in Aberdeenshire and Moray district (, 85–9). Their distinctive stylistic characteristics and geographical segregation renders them ideal for the investigation of whether the glasses employed in their manufacture were imported rather than produced locally, and for the assessment of the technology used in the production of the deep colours. Studies performed in the 1980s on different specimens pertaining to the same Classes () showed compositional characteristics differing from Iron Age southern British beads, suggesting a different source of glass for their manufacture. Here, a set of 19 beads which was never investigated before was analysed for 32 major, minor and trace elements using Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The sample set shows good homogeneity in major and minor element composition, indicating the use of imported natron glass, with standardized composition typical of Roman glass of the period, also reflected in the recipes used for colouration. Evidence for the use of cullet and waste glass was found, which, along with the particularity of the design, suggests a local origin of the beads and possible production by native glassworkers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper reports the results of elemental analysis, using laser ablation – inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS), of 30 glass beads from an assemblage of beads excavated at medieval al-Basra, Morocco. Six chemical glass types are represented and their characteristics and geographical origins are discussed, with reference also to the techniques used to make the beads. The presence of numerous beads of lead–silica glasses is of particular interest. The morphological, technological and chemical analyses of the bead assemblage shed light on al-Basra's trade connections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A comparison between the compositions determined by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) from two different laboratories on 52 ancient beads recovered in Africa was undertaken. Single point and raster samplings by the laser ablation systems were used. Although similar results were obtained using the two approaches on most of the beads, raster sampling was found more sensitive to corrosion than single point sampling. The impact of corrosion on the results and on their interpretation is discussed. Depending on the types of glass, group attribution is variably affected. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The occurrence of similar glass beads at archaeological sites in Africa and Asia bears witness to the trade relationship between the two continents. This paper reports elemental analysis results from a recent in-depth laser ablation – inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS) study of a group of archaeological glass beads with a specific alumina-rich composition from East Africa, India and Sri Lanka. Based on the concentrations of the trace elements, two different subgroups were identified. One subgroup occurs at early periods (fourth centurybce to fifth centuryace) in South India and Sri Lanka. The second subgroup appears at later dates in Africa and was identified at different Kenyan sites dated from the ninth to the 19th centuryace, and at the contemporaneous site of Chaul in western India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rare earth elements (REE) composition in Fe-mineral phases is an important tool in iron formation studies to obtain information about parent rocks and environmental and paragenetic processes. However, the determination of REE presents some difficulties, such as the low concentration of these elements, matrix complexity and lack of iron matrix certified reference materials. The aim of the present work is to propose an analytical method to determine the REE plus Y (REE + Y) contents at trace levels in Fe-(hydr)oxides by the laser ablation ICP-quadrupoleMS technique, using external calibration. The calibration curves were obtained from analyses of reference materials with different matrices, and the analytical conditions were checked on the NIST 614 glass. The linearity (R2 ≥ 0.98), limit of detection (0.002–0.044 μg g−1), limit of quantification (0.008–0.146 μg g−1), recovery (88.4–112.4%), and intraday (0.1–14.1%) and interday (1.6–17.8%) precision were systematically assessed. The results obtained showed that the method is fit for the purpose and showed evidence of a nonsignificant interference of the matrix. Thus, the developed procedure was applied in the analyses of magnetite, martite, hematite, and goethite grains from Cauê Iron Formation (Brazil). The REE + Y patterns of the minerals are consistent with the previous study of bulk analyses on whole rocks and highlight the postdepositional signature of these elements in banded iron formations. Image 1 • It is a challenge to measure REE + Y in Fe-rich samples without certified reference materials. • Efficient external calibration combined with various matrices for REE + Y analyses. • In situ analyses by an LA-ICP-MS system of fused glass beads used in XRF. • REE + Y patterns of Fe-minerals from Quadrilátero Ferrífero (Brazil) obtained by LA-ICP-MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Use of LA-ICP-MS to determine the trace element content in order to identify the main production regions of each glass bead type. • Determination of the fluxing agents, (de)coloring and opacifying agents used in the manufacture of each glass bead type. • Application of combined multi-analytical minimally invasive methodology, which includes hXRF, VP-SEM-EDS, micro-Raman spectroscopy and LA-ICP-MS to the study of several glass beads. A collection of glass beads found in Lumbu (Mbanza Kongo, Angola) were analyzed by means of a multi-analytical minimally invasive methodology, which included handheld X-ray fluorescence (hXRF), variable pressure scanning electron microscope coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (VP-SEM-EDS), micro-Raman spectroscopy and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Trace element analysis, and rare earth element pattern analysis in particular, was found to be essential to establish the provenance of the European trade beads in this study. The glass beads from types 30, 31, 32, 36, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43 and 45 were found to have been produced in Venice, and the glass beads from types 26 and 28 have been assigned to the Bohemian glass industry. While determining the provenance of each glass artefact was a major goal of this study, the process of glass coloring and opacification was also studied in an attempt to establish the technology employed in the production of these artefacts. Chemical data indicate that cobalt and copper were used to produce blue hues, while a combination of copper and iron ions was used to produce green glass. Black colored glass was obtained by the combined use of iron and manganese ions, whereas the iron-sulfur chromophore was used to impart a distinct amber hue to the glass. Red was produced using trace amounts of metallic gold particles (ruby red glass) and metallic copper nano-particles or cuprous oxide (brownish-red glass). Lead arsenates, calcium phosphate, and cassiterite were used as opacifying agents. The use of both morphological and chemical analysis enabled the identification of distinct European production centers, allowing a glimpse into the consumption patterns and economic interactions in place between Europe and West-Central Africa throughout the 17th-19th centuries. Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The glass bead assemblages recovered during the 2014 excavations of the ruins of Kulumbimbi located in Mbanza Kongo (Angola) were analyzed by means of a multi-analytical minimally invasive methodology, which includes handheld X-ray fluorescence (hXRF), variable pressure scanning electron microscope coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (VP-SEM-EDS), micro-Raman spectroscopy and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Chemical data indicate that cobalt, copper, iron and manganese ions were used to produce the blue, green, reddish-brown and black hues, respectively. Lead arsenates, calcium phosphate, calcium antimonate, lead stannate, cassiterite and Pb-Sb-Sn oxide were used as opacifying agents. Chondrite-normalized trace element distribution and chondrite-normalized rare earth element patterns were used to determine the sand source used in the production of the different glass bead types. These distributions were also used to identify the manufacture location of the glass beads with previously unknown origin and production date. Based on the data collected, the glass beads from types 16, 20, 22, 24, 25, 46 and 47 have been assigned as Venetian. • Application of multi-analytical minimally invasive methodology: hXRF, VP-SEM-EDS, micro-Raman spectroscopy and LA-ICP-MS. • Determination of the coloring and opacifying agents used in the manufacture of each glass bead type. • Use of trace element analysis to identify the main production regions of each glass bead type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]