The chemical analysis of glass samples from roman era cemeteries in the Crimean piedmont

We assessed the chemical composition of more than 40 fragments of glass vessels from the Roman Period cemeteries in the Crimean piedmont-Druzhnoye, Neusatz, and Opushki, using X-ray spectral microanalysis. The results suggest that the glass from all the cemeteries belonged to the soda-lime silicate group, based on natural soda. The samples fall in glass groups “Levantine I”, “HIMT”, and “Roman glass”, typical of central and peripheral Roman manufacture in 0-500 AD. Most vessels are made of glass with a high content of iron, manganese, and titanium, as in the HIMT group, most common in Europe since 300 AD. The likely workshops are those in the Syro-Palestinian area, northern Egypt, and Sinai, pointing to contacts of the northern Pontic with other parts of the Greco-Roman world. The composition of glass from all the three cemeteries is the same, suggesting that the piedmont Crimeans imported glass ware from the same workshops.