Theban Glass Traditions in the 1st Millennium BCE, Greece: New LA-ICP-MS Data and Their Archaeological Implications

Abstract

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.